The Canadian Journey
by Placeholder102
Summary: Our hero? Markus Puttnam. His goal? Canada's next Pokemon League champion. Along for the ride? His best friend Trevor, a contemptous Swellow, his little sister Carly, a smart mouthed Pokedex and a girl named Nicole. Fun.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own pokemon but will buy Torterra's rights if Gamefreak sells**

My name is Markus and this is a story of my journey through Canada. Yes, Canada. Why are you giving me those funny looks? Don't lie I know you are. Anyway that is beside the point. Shall we move on to some where in the story that is interesting, like the beginning?

Chapter 1

I'm not the best looking person in the world, I'll admit. There are probably hundreds of people that look better than me, though a girl could do worse (just saying!). I'm thirteen which might seem odd but that is what's normal around here for a trainer to finish elementary school first if they remain in mainstream education and not go to trainer ed. To be honest, I've kind of been looking forward to this day.

If you must know more about my appearance, I wear glasses and have medium length blonde hair. My clothes tend to change daily but are usually variations of the same thing: red t-shirt and hoodie, blue jeans and running shoes.

Tomorrow is starter day, at least for the kids whose parents arranged everything. Most parents hand their kids a thing of pokeballs and pray they don't try to find something insane for beginners like a Scyther. They don't live around here but the one kid wouldn't listen to anyone's opinion. He showed up a week later after being attacked by a Beedrill which do live around here and now the poor kid freaks out if he sees a bug pokemon as harmless as a Metapod. METAPOD! That is why I can't wait for starter day, so that I can start my journey without being sent to the ER on day one. Hopefully.

"Hurry up mom! I want to get there before they run out of pokemon!" I told my mom as we were getting ready to go. "Or even worse! They could only have something pathetic like Magikarp left!" My sister called out from the hallway.

I guess I should take the time to talk about my younger sister seeing as we have a half hour drive to Guelph and the nearest pokemon lab. Her name is Carly and she is eleven. The reason she is getting her starter now instead of when she is thirteen, or ten with the trainer ed, is because she switched to trainer ed a year later than most of her friends. Her friends came home a month later after leaving and none of them with a gym badge to call their own. That meant she'd have to find somebody to go with.

Carly today chose to wear an orange shirt with a green headband and black jeans. Her dirty blonde hair was still messy from her waking up about half an hour late.

You know, speaking of gym badges I never talked about how Canada's league worked. There are ten gyms so far but they are working on setting one up in the Yukon and putting more on the East coast. As per usual, you only need eight badges to enter the league tournament. I'm not sure how they eliminate to the top thirty-two because that is when TV coverage of the matches begins and those are knockout matches. Only the eliminated trainers know for sure. And officials I guess, but both are paid to keep quiet.

As for contests, we don't have those yet. End of story. Why would you think we had those if we don't have all of our gyms yet? Heck, we still have to walk to every gym when we can't drive. Bus tickets are for emergencies only with the amount of money a trainer makes these days.

That's enough about that. I'm pretty sure you want this story to get interesting right about now!

* * *

><p>A tall, pale man with balding black hair and a lab coat came on the stage and introduced himself. "Welcome to starter day ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Professor Pine and I will be your MC, lecturer for those not in Trainer Ed and Referee of our demonstration battles here today. Now for those of us who are parents in the audience let me explain what sort of adventures to expect to here about from your kids and how you can help them along the road while my assistant hands out the starter pokemon and pokedexes." The professor said as we were funneled out to receive our starters.<p>

My choice of starter was easy for me to make: after all I consider Swampert to be one of my favourite pokemon and besides, when was the last time you saw one on Canadian soil natively? Yes I chose Mudkip for those of you who hadn't guessed. I felt glorious when I was handed its pokeball, after all I could finally call a pokemon_ mine._

Carly's choice came as a bit of a surprise to me. When I saw her walk over to the water types as well I thought she would pick a Squirtle or a Piplup. As soon as I saw her carefully pick it up, I was surprised. Especially when the Totodile walked up to me and bit me!

As soon as we finished up selecting starter pokemon (an unpicked Pidgey's eyes were murder for me), we were given a crash course of Pokedex 101(add music players and those things could replace ipods) and toured through the labs once we finally agreed to return our pokemon and not touch anything. After being introduced to all the lab's features and the majority of the others not understanding half of the assistant's word choice we were sent to the arena the professor had set up for the demonstration battles.

Huge did not begin to describe the arena. The room itself made up a quarter of the facility. The arena was probably a kilometer square in size at minimum with the standard pokeball in the center. When I asked the professor about this he simply replied "Get used to this because this is the standard size so that large pokemon don't go out of bounds. If you don't prepare for this now, wait for when the gyms begin to use specialty fields."

Large pokemon were apparently very common because our battle was a Gliscor vs. Metagross skirmish when the hired trainers stepped onto the field and with all the action I was surprised that they stayed in bounds. As for everyone else, their eyes were wide with amazement; they were sitting on the edge of the seats and they had their necks craned, trying to get a closer look. You'd think the parents would be more dignified because the kids were obediently watching the match.

We arrived at home later that day, after more lecturing and a form to fill out about how the Pokemon League of Canada was not responsible for any accidents in their facilities and other bureaucratic crap.

* * *

><p>As soon as we could let our new pokemon out, Mudkip and Totodile were taking in the surroundings of our home and being sniffed down by our pet Growlithe, Melody. Melody was not impressed with our new houseguests after being playfully soaked. Long story short they have to be in their pokeballs when they go to sleep from now on.<p>

Once the rules were explained to everyone (including the pokemon) I went up to my room and started rooting around for some pokeballs. One might wonder why because I had just received my first pokemon and should be getting used to its mannerisms and personalities blah blah blah but I knew as the next big thing I would have to do some searching for pokemon to supplement my roster.

I immediately considered where I could look for pokemon locally and made a list like this:

The park- Nothing to look for there worth using

The soccer field- Might be something worth catching but I highly doubt it

The camp- Long as I'm not noticed while I do my searching I should be fine because there is a huge area of forest the camp doesn't use and trainers pass through there all of the time.

I quickly settled on the camp after looking at my options for a long time. Okay it actually took all of 20 seconds and I'm surprised I took so long to decide. Checking my room for the second time I found 2 pokeballs which would be plenty for me to start off my journey with and planned on where to look for my very first catch and hopefully a lifelong team member.

I snuck into the back of the camp as casually as I could to make sure nobody knew what I was up to. In reality everyone probably did but at least this way they wouldn't rat me out if I wasn't allowed. Once I was in the back forest of the Camp I took out my Pokedex and scanned Mudkip's moves which plain and simple turned out to be:_ Tackle, Growl, and Ice Beam_.

"You know Ice beam?" I asked Mudkip in disbelief, who in response shrugged as best as it could with four legs. To be honest I hadn't put much account into Mudkip's appearance, with its dark blue body, radar fin and orange spiked cheeks.

As for Mudkip knowing Ice beam this made my plans much easier, for I wanted to make my first catch a Taillow, a bird pokemon I had always liked. After wandering around and hiding whenever I heard something that sounded like a pokemon. I finally spotted a Taillow gorging itself on some berries on a nearby bush.

"Mudkip use Ice beam!" I called out, startling the bird but before it could do anything to stop itself from being frozen solid by a white beam.

I quickly threw the pokeball I had in my hand praying that it would work for me. It took a moment for me to realize that I had made my first real catch and as soon as it did I felt amazing, like I was on top of the world. Nothing could make me feel anything else right now.

Well, except for the Raticate whose territory I wandered into not realizing that it was nearby. To say its teeth were sharp would be an understatement. What happened next was not one of my finest moments. Seriously, could we just move on to the pokemon centre? I find this part to have been embarrassing. Let's go to the pokemon centre and move on.

Well, that's what everyone called it anyway. In truth it was really a healing machine in the town hall that everyone who volunteered would take turns watching. Naturally it was a big deal if someone showed up with a new pokemon, or if a hotshot expert heading to Toronto for the nearest pokemon gym.

"Hi there Markus. How many do you need healed today? One I take it. Am I right?" The woman asked me.

"Actually two please. And could you use the antifreeze function? My Taillow is still a block of ice." Was my reply.

"You and Carly are really growing up. She was just here with her first catch herself." She said. I immediately wondered what Carly caught and then I put the pieces together. It meant she made her first catch before me! I thanked the woman and headed home, to see Carly's first catch for myself.

Of course at first I didn't go all the way home since I stopped to learn my Taillow's moves which turned out to be _Peck, Growl and Steel Wing _according to my Pokedex. Despite the fact I've never had to look up an entry, having only seen familiar pokemon, my Pokedex had become a very important tool for me.

I saw Carly walking home from the soccer pitch immediately after I started to run home that way. She had let out her Starly- wait Starly? Then I remembered that she had made her first catch too and Starly must have been it.

"Carly wait up" I called out to her. "How many pokemon do you have right now? I just made my first catch!"

"Only two? I have three pokemon" came her reply as if it were no big deal.

I then asked Carly one last question before we stepped inside our house: "What's your third pokemon?"

I fumed at her cheeky reply of, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

**Let me know if somebody came off as a Mary-Sue to you! I'm not the best writer so if you spot an error, let me know! Constructive criticism is welcome but no flaming. Also let me know what you liked specifically and what you would change. I won't please everyone but if I agree something needs changing I will. Also, I changed the way ice beam is done because I don't understand the blue lightning thing.**


	2. Chapter 2

** Disclaimer: Don't own pokemon, probably never will. That stinks.**

**Chapter 2**

I woke up with a groan the next morning. I'd spent half the night, or what felt like that, memorizing the contents of my Pokedex from move sets to what pokemon lived where nearby. I managed to learn something about Mudkip from all of this: Mudkips can't learn ice beam naturally.

As for my Taillow, it learned steel wing as a byproduct of a breeder's accident. A Swellow had been taught the move and then escaped to here, not liking humans roughly 30 years ago, according to news archives on the Pokedex. Most local Taillow now knew that move.

I'd also decided what pokemon to make team member three from all of that searching through my dex: Turtwig. It and its evolutions were powerhouses and able to take a major hit with enough training, the only downside being a lack of speed later on.

I made my way into the kitchen and took a look at the clock not bothering to change out of my pajamas. "11:45 am! How could that be? Carly is probably out training right now!" I screeched having stammered out the first part. I quickly dashed off to my room to put on some proper clothes, grabbing a granola bar for breakfast. Immediately after I dressed and managed to compose myself, I called my friend Trevor.

Seeing as I haven't mentioned Trevor before, I probably should take the time to talk about them. You see Trevor and I are polar opposites. I mean, while I applied myself academically, he did so socially. As result I become very motivated for the future, him not so much. When he showed up at my house, i saw he had recently cut his raven coloured hair short. Speaking of short, after a recent growth spurt I was three or four inches taller than he was.

Naturally like any guy who believes the league is the fast track to fame, money and chicks he picked the very stereotypical Charmander as his starter. How original on the author's part.

* * *

><p>"Trevor my main man!" I called out "What's the pokeball count?"<p>

"Two! I just caught a Venipide last night!" was Trevor's reply to me. Normally that's not like Trevor. You see, Trevor is a bit of a slacker and Venipide are pretty rare here.

As Trevor began to walk towards me I asked him "How did you manage to catch one?" to which Trevor replied "It snuck into my room and it was lying there asleep. I tried to contain my laughter at the irony but failed to do so. One thing that was blatantly obvious was that the two would get along just fine.

With all of our pokemon out, we made our plans to search for our next additions to our teams, in a place that was very familiar to the both of my team members. Recalling everyone we left for our destination.

* * *

><p>"Be careful Trevor. The Raticate are particularly vicious in this area. Then again, that would explain why everything here is chewed up, Trevor. Trevor?" and with that I realized not only was I alone but from the monstrous snarling I knew I was about to say hi to a familiar face. "Nice Raticate, good Raticate, and Mudkip I choose you!" I screeched, panicking. To top it off, I was getting to know his poker buddies.<p>

I knew I was screwed. Not because of the fact that I'd never had an actual battle or because the Raticate brought friends but because I knew Mudkip hadn't been prepared for this. I started to pray for my life when I heard Carly's voice "Bulbasaur use vine whip!" grabbing the attention of Big teeth 1 leaving 2 and 3 for me until Trevor showed up.

"Lotad use Astonish" Came Trevor's call. I face palmed after hearing Trevor say this. Astonish was a ghost type move and Ghost attacks can't hurt normal types. Even I knew of this from watching battles on TV. Then it came to me; both of them had 3 pokemon while I still had 2. They were getting ahead and I wasn't. This was unfair!

I snapped back to the battle after hearing a pained cry of "Kip". Mudkip had been hurt because I wasn't paying attention.

"Use Tackle Mudkip" I shouted out, now focusing on what was going on. Clearly my opponent hadn't expected Mudkip to hit so hard. Problem was Raticate started to get bloodthirsty, so I quickly regretted my decision. Then came an unexpected surprise to say the least. Mudkip's tail struck the ground, knocking dirt into our foe's eyes. I knew that move- Mud Slap. "Finish with Ice Beam!" With that, the Raticate was a Popsicle. "Canadian hospitality" I thought to myself, smirking at my own joke.

I then turned to see how Carly and Trevor were doing. Carly was wrapping up her fight and I could tell she didn't need any help. Trevor on the other hand… had just figured out his predicament and switched to Charmander. Took him long enough. Of course, Raticate rank lackey minor wasn't in mint condition either, so maybe I should give him some more credit.

"Charmander use Aerial Ace!" Trevor practically squeaked saying that, so the adrenaline must have started to get to him. I can't say I blame him because the only time he applies himself is when adrenaline is pumping through his veins. When I took another look at the battlefield I realized that the Raticate was down and that a pokeball was in its place. Crap. I'm way behind in teambuilding.

Well, time to get to work searching out my target.

* * *

><p>"Markus, it's getting dark out. Maybe we should head back. I mean, we aren't going to catch anything that useful tonight." Trevor explained to me, nearly breaking my concentration. After placing a (crooked, and probably more than a little lopsided) makeshift crosshairs on Mudkip, I had staked out where my targets were normally found and had been waiting for hours. Fortunately, I had just lucked out.<p>

"Ice beam" I whispered tensely to Mudkip. One shot, one frozen pokemon. I was 3 for 3 when it came to ice cubing my foes. Winning!

All it took was a well tossed pokeball… borrowed from Trevor because I missed and caught a Kricketot by accident my first throw (Not counted for ice cubing due to circumstance). I'm kind of surprised that I made the first accidental catch here. I mean, I'm not _that_ bad of a throw. And would that break my perfect freezing record?

* * *

><p>"I say we need to leave soon if we're going to become any good" Trevor said to me as we were walking back to my house "If we don't, we'll be the next badge less wonders." I paused for a second after hearing that. I didn't put much thought into that fact before now. To top that off, Trevor was right. We needed to test our skills out somehow though. I tried to think of a way to manage to do so.<p>

"Come to think of it, isn't there a tournament in a few days? That would be the perfect test if everyone else shows up. I figure if we can both dominate, that would give us the proof we need to show everyone we are ready to go" I replied. "It's on the last day of school too. What could be better timing before we leave? That and sometimes big shot trainers go to these things, looking for new talent. Or fresh meat."

"So this is settled then. We train our teams, kick butt and leave for the big leagues, picking up any and all chicks on the way." Trevor summed up for both of us, the last part being his focus of the whole journey. Now how was I going to break this to him?

* * *

><p>"What do you mean Carly's coming with us? I thought it would be us dudes! We won't be able to do half of the things I planned for when we're in charge, on our own." Trevor ranted, barely stopping to breathe.<p>

Gently I explained why this was happening "It's the only way my mom will let me go. And then we'd both be stuck here."

"Markus, I need a good reason to not strangle you right now." Trevor threateningly snarled at me.

"I can have you turned into a human Popsicle?" I suggested.

"I hate it when you're right. Why does Mudkip know Ice Beam, anyway? I mean, Markus, it kind of makes you look like a Mary Sue."

"I honestly have no clue. I guess for the time being it'll be one of life's mysteries." I told Trevor.

"Well, Charizard is way more awesome than Swampert anyway." Trevor said, ignoring the fact his rant ever happened.

Irked as I was, I had to get my piece in. "No, not only is Swampert way cooler, it owns Charizard on the battlefield. What's Charizard got to beat it? Solarbeam? in the time it takes to charge, Swampert can unleash a Muddy Water, a Hydro Cannon, or just plain punch it in the face. I mean can Charizard move boulders?"

"Maybe" Trevor replied facetiously, with no regard for how trivial this was. Then again, I wasn't considering that myself.

"Golem don't count."

"Oh. Damn."

* * *

><p><strong> I'll probably take a lot of flak for putting down Charizard. To be honest, I like Venusaur better. Here are some random things I learned while writing this chapter.<strong>

**1. Swampert has the highest base stat total out of all the final starter evos**

**2. Did you know there was a Miami, Winnipeg? **

** Also, Shout out to OceanSpiral for first review, and could I please have more from other readers? I know there's another 8 of you, and my 13 hits prove it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer from this point forward: I don't own pokemon and won't for a very long time with my plans.**

**Chapter 3**

I woke up that night to the sound of a tapping on my window. Not someone chucking rocks at it, but actual tapping. Groggily I stepped out of bed to see my nocturnal visitor.

"Trevor, what are you doing here? It's like 3 in the morning! And we have school tomorrow! Why are you here?" I snapped. Then I paused and considered it could have been a serial killer instead. Well, I was lucky in one regard.

"Grab your pokemon, pack a bag and grab your bike. The collapsible one. We're leaving for Toronto right now. If we hurry we'll be there by 8 am and challenging the gym leader." He replied, ignoring my question.

"Once again dude, why?" I said while shoving my Ipod and its charger in a bag. "You wake me up in the middle of the night with no explanation? What is your problem?"

Trevor immediately turned around and glared at me from where he was closing my window. "My mom saw my report card and isn't letting me leave until I get my grades up. School is almost over and I'm not waiting until grade 9 to leave. You are being woken up so that I have someone who can convince my parents that everything is alright. That and I want some company while we travel."

I knew there was no point in arguing with him. There never was. Once he had an idea, you went with it. And hey, this meant Carly didn't have to come with us. Win-win, right?

"Markus, do you have all of the stuff you wanted to bring? I'm not turning around once we cross this property line." Trevor told me as we left through my basement (perk of a 3 storey house) "You always forget something crucial."

I took this moment to double check my things. Ipod and charger, favourite hat, denim jacket and union jack t-shirt, Extra red hoodie and black shirt, extra two pairs of pants, week's worth of clean underwear and DS and charger. Plus my collapsible bike. Thank god for internal expansion courtesy of Silph co. I then went on to make sure I had all four pokeballs.

"Turtwig, Taillow, Kricketot and oh crap! I forgot Mudkip!" I turned around and ran back, praying I wouldn't wake anyone up.

As I hurried into my room trying to make as little noise as possible, I started looking for Mudkip's pokeball. Except for one small thing: It wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" I heard Carly ask, standing in my doorway. I didn't need to turn around to know how smug she looked. How in the world did she know anyway that we were leaving?

I decided that wasn't important and moved on. "What'll it take to get you to give me Mudkip and stay quiet?" I groaned. This was so not going to end well.

* * *

><p>Trevor was furious and I knew it wasn't going to go over well when he started hissing at me. "Markus, I thought she wasn't coming. You were supposed to get Mudkip and come back. I see you have Mudkip, but bringing her does not mean extra credit. Now why is she here?"<p>

"Dude, I can explain." I replied. "Carly found us out, this will keep her quiet as an accessory to the fact and she's packed and ready to go. Why should we leave her here to rat us out?"

Indeed, Carly had gotten herself ready, having changed into a pink and grey plaid grey shirt over a solid green undershirt, with denim capris and an orange headband holding back her dirty blonde hair. Besides, Carly had remembered something I hadn't. Wallets.

"Fine." Trevor grumbled. "Get on your bikes and follow me. I have a route planned out and when we reach the next gas station, I'll explain some more." He continued.

As we rode in silence, my mind had time to wander. Like, what about the tournament? We'd already registered. So why were we leaving? And won't we be fugitives? This plan would not end well.

* * *

><p>As the sun started to rise, I finally got a good look at what Trevor was wearing. He had on a black and dark green striped golf shirt with khaki shorts and black sneakers. On top of this was a beat up gray hoodie.<p>

Of course by the next gas station, Trevor's personality had changed back to his usual fun loving self. "So this is the path to fame. Ladies, here I come and don't forget my name!" he exclaimed.

I pulled him over into a corner to talk while Carly grabbed us some food for the road. "Is everything okay?" I asked Trevor, "You weren't yourself earlier."

"No, everything isn't okay," Trevor replied "I panicked because I didn't want to have to wait another year to leave. I want people to look at me and see greatness, not a loser who couldn't leave home. I don't want people to laugh at me."

I'd never seen him like this so what could I do? I forgave him and left, going around the back of the gas station to look for pokemon. I mean, like you would do anything different in the same situation. Besides, along the highway lived different kinds of pokemon than back home.

I was immediately rewarded for my efforts, spotting a green dog with electric yellow stripes on an angular crest of fur lying horizontally partway down its back and a giant sphere with a pokeball colour scheme and permanent scowl. Voltorb and Electrike. Perfect.

I sent out Turtwig and Kricketot and had Turtwig use Razor leaf to get their attention. Electrike dashed at Kricketot with a Quick Attack as I told Kricketot "Use Bide!" and Voltorb launched a Shock Wave at Turtwig which didn't even phase the turtle.

Keeping the momentum going I called out "Turtwig, Razor Leaf again!" with both electric types cringing from the onslaught of leaves. Electrike slammed itself into Kricketot again with another Quick Attack while Voltorb went with Sonic Boom, sending out a stream of soundwaves that even hit Electrike!

I smirked. Clearly these two had no idea what I was planning with Kricketot. It had been long enough. "Kricketot, release it now." I said.

With that Kricketot dashed forward, surrounded with a glowing white aura. The bug slammed into Electrike knocking out the canine. That left me with a Voltorb, no pokeballs and a bug that would not stop glowing. Wait, what? Glowing?

That could only mean one thing.

"Kricketune!" my bug type chirped in its sing-song voice. To be honest, the moustache it had spontaneously grown was kind of distracting.

Back to the dilemma at hand, Kricketune went after Voltorb with a series of cuts from the glowing red scythes on its arms. After hit number 5 though, it was down for the count. Now where were some pokeballs when I needed them?

Okay, think Markus, think. I needed pokeballs and Carly was nowhere in sight. Trevor on the other hand was chatting up a redhead female trainer. Perfect

"Trevor, I need some pokeballs!" I called out, getting his attention. Problem was a truck sped past them when I said the poke part of pokeballs and well, you get the idea. Curse my god darn luck.

So my now pissed off friend gave me a rather nasty hand gesture and stomped his way over to where I was. I put on my biggest smile as I saw the giant red handprint on his face and said "Keep whichever one you want" pointing at the unconscious electric pokemon as I did so.

Trevor fed me another glare and threw a pokeball at the Voltorb. He then passed me one and told me "We are so lucky I needed an electric type." "We?" I choked out in response.

"Yes, we. I for the electric type and you because getting one will mend the tear in our friendship meaning I won't get charged with assault or murder." He replied.

As I finished one last gulp, Carly came running over yelling "Guys I just caught a Wurmple!" with an excited grin on her face. Trevor and I knew this would either be extremely bad for us or very bad for us. Divergent evolutions can be a Beedrill with an itch.

As soon as Carly sent it out the pinkish caterpillar with its blank beady eyes and white underbelly, it glew with the same white hot intensity my newly Kricketune had. It now was a white oval with four spikes coming out of the front and back. A Cascoon. One thing that struck me was the species normally droopy red eyes seemed stuck in a vicious glare. This could not bode well.

Back to matters at hand, Trevor turned to me and said "I need to take this opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for a while. Markus, I challenge you to a battle."

**And that is a cliff hanger proper! It seemed like a good place to stop the story. Reviews, I want them. You got them. Please give them to me. I'm not going to beg again.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

This was it. Traveling with Trevor was going to kill me, and I'd be part of every insane thing he did. I was in for the battle of my life. Somebody slap me before I turn into some sort of drama queen. I need to get on with this battle.

Trevor and I had finally found an attendant at the rest stop on break willing to referee (I couldn't count on Carly to remain neutral). The terms had already been agreed on. 3 on 3, with no substitutions. New Pokemon every time. Best of three wins.

"Kricketune, on point" I called as Trevor responded with "Go Raticate!" The evolved pokemon had been sent out first. I liked that idea. It got rid of Raticate for me and everything else Trevor had that was fresh was either weak to Taillow or Mudkip.

"Raticate, Quick Attack" Trevor called out. The overgrown rodent slammed itself into my red mustached cricket. Kricketune nearly flipped head over heels from the force.

"Counter with Fury Cutter" I responded quickly, "While it's still close."

As the red energy extended out of Kricketune's miniature... scythes, I guess, and the bug whaled on Raticate, Kricketune stopped, standing still as Raticate turned its face into something that wouldn't look out of place in a haunted house and I realized what was going on. Raticate was using Scary Face. It was officially the most irksome move ever, stopping pokemon still and slowing their reaction times by a third. Maybe I'd be at a disadvantage after all.

Kricketune's attack resumed, but the insect could not build up the momentum for it to be effective. This was definitely not my day. I need a new tactic to get me somewhere. Preferably a productive one. He (well I would assume Kricketune's a dude. I couldn't tell) had taken too much damage for Bide, and I'd never hear the end of using Growl. What did that leave me with?

While trying to get myself out of this, Kricketune's scythe things then started to glow a different colour, a very pale green. What attack was this? I'd never seen it used before, in anything. Every time Kricketune landed a hit on the Raticate though, it started to get stronger.

This pattern continued for a short period of time until Raticate collapsed, unable to take a further beating. I recalled Kricketune and prepared for my next opponent. If this winning streak kept up, Trevor would be paying for my dinner.

I was shocked when I saw his next choice, and glad I'd grabbed the wrong pokeball by mistake. Voltorb was against Turtwig. I grinned triumphantly because I knew I had another easy win under my belt.

Trevor started of the match with pure momentum, ordering Voltorb to "Use Sonic Boom!" Shit, I panicked inwardly, forget free dinner I'm going to need a miracle to win. The soundwaves collided with the Turtle and almost sent it (Need to check their genders!) flying. I responded quickly with "Withdraw!" knowing Turtwig would be protected, for the most part.

So, my turtle was stuck in its shell at the mercy of my opponent. I couldn't keep up with how quickly the tables were turning. Trevor had never been a gracious winner, and I needed to use this situation to my advantage. Think, Markus, think!

Well, Turtwig couldn't use Rapid Spin as far as I knew, so that was out and I couldn't block the attack that way. Razor leaf would just end up stuck heading right back in my direction. Tackle needed legs. What else could Turtwig learn at this stage of growth again?

Hang on, I have an idea. Here's to praying to whichever deity is up there in hope that it works.

"Turtwig, this is going to sound really strange, but try and steal that overgrown beach ball's energy!" I could only hope this would work.

Olive green light started to gather around Voltorb and its permanent scowl flickered into a look of confusion for a second. Then, a stream of energy slowly moved back in Turtwig's direction and began to restore my turtle's health. Yes! Overjoyed as I was that this worked I couldn't get cocky because everything could change in a heartbeat.

Trevor quickly changed his tactics, having Voltorb begin to use Charge, an attack that gathered static for an electrical boost. The sphere, or rather, the air around it began to crackle with electricity. What was he planning?

"Voltorb, Shockwave" Trevor said following up on his plan. Just frickin' dandy. Turtwig was overloaded with electricity and despite its natural resistance and recovered health, collapsed. Turtwig was in no condition to continue.

I ran up to the turtle to make sure it was okay. Turtwig greeted my concern with a blank stare, like it couldn't care less what I did. I recalled the pokemon and resumed the battle; having resigned to the fact my Turtwig hated me.

But now I had to finish this battle. Who hadn't been sent out yet again? Electrike had taken too much damage and Mudkip had seen its fair share of action, plus I wanted to let another pokemon get some experience. That left me with Taillow. Odds were in my favour. But we saw how good my luck was, right?

"Markus, hurry up. Hot blonde to your seven o'clock" Trevor chastised me. Nice to see his priorities were in order. As soon as I tossed out Taillow he responded with Venipede. Smart Trevor, _real _smart. Now this I could use to my advantage. Even if he tried to poison me, Guts would activate. I'd have a time bomb powerhouse.

I needed to win this fast. "Taillow, Quick Attack!" That move was made for this situation. Right before Trevor could have Venipede take the first move as well. Taillow then turned around and started to attack me with non stop pecking. "What did I ever do to you" I yelled back at it, trying and failing to stop the onslaught. I couldn't decide which was worse-the glorified KFC or a swarm of Beedrill.

The attendant had to pick _now_ to call the match. I wished I was dreaming and I'd wake in my bed when I heard "Due to Taillow's inability to fight Venipede, its trainer forfeits." My first match had handed me a loss. Darn it! Why do these things always happen to me? So close and yet so frickin' far.

"Come on loser, pay up" Trevor said, sneering at me.

That little... agh! Why does he _always_ have to win everything with so little effort? The little prick needed someone to wipe the smirk off his face.

Now I did something I would later regret here: I punched him in the nose. Who wouldn't have? He blew me off for a girl, put me in a situation where I had to give up pokemon I defeated fair and square and was babe watching the entire battle.

Trevor went reeling back at this, clutching his nose and screaming some rather vulgar words. I was shocked too, but for a very different reason. I could hit that hard?

We continued to bike into Toronto in silence form that point forward. No one spoke to one another, even at the rest stops. I did hand Trevor his cash, but didn't speak to him while I did it. We had gym battles to focus on, and I planned on winning mine. It would be my first step towards showing people I _could _do something that didn't involve books and schoolwork. Trevor could suck on it when I held the 2011 League Trophy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

To say Toronto is a big city is an understatement. Its population wasn't exactly Tokyo, but 2.7 million people are nothing to shake a stick at. Ontario's capital was the largest city in Canada. To top it of, a quarter of Canada's population lived in the surrounding area. Any wonder why the city's gym was the most visited in Canada?

Of course that left Trevor, Carly, and I crowded around a Pokemon Centre city map that afternoon trying to figure out where the gym was. I may have had better grades in Trevor for everything except gym, but I can't read a map to save my life.

Just frickin' dandy.

We were lost. The gyms had just appointed permanent leaders too, so it's not like we could battle people in the streets and hope one would give us the badge. Hell, we didn't even know what type the gym was! We may as well have been attached to another object wrapped helically around an axis. In other words, screwed.

An older trainer came over. His clothes looked brand new and rather dressy, so clearly he stayed local. His belt didn't have any pokeball holders either, so he must have been purely casual about it. "The gym's over there." He said pointing to another part of the map. Continuing he said "You can catch the subway down the street and to your left. Building has a large pokeball on the front if you use the street entrance" while gesturing to the route we were to take.

"Th-thank you" I stammered out quickly, shocked about how friendly he was. "Do you know what type the gym is?" I called to him as he started to walk away. Not missing a beat he called back "Normal. This city is so diverse it was the only type that made sense."

I was feeling pretty good about myself when Carly started snapping her fingers in my face. "Hello, didn't you forget something, like WHICH STOP TO GET OFF AT?" she yelled, getting everyone on this side of the centre to give us looks. I cursed under my breath. I hated it when she was right.

"So, we improvise. This place should have a subway map, right?" The pokemon centre didn't. Great. Only one way to go from here.

"Trevor, you need to keep it in your pants. Just because she is a girl does not mean she is interested." I explained to my oogling friend who couldn't hide his joy, drooling from all of the passing females. Carly was extremely confused when she saw us, after she came out of the restroom. Now where was the subway map?

Well, one was up on the industrial looking gray wall, but no mention of the gym. We needed directions.

Of course, serendipity struck again with clearly labeled directions to the straight to gym line posted on the other side of the platform. Perfect.

The car for this subway line specifically was much different from most other subways, with 8 seats and standing room for maybe another 6. When the car stopped a full capacity of trainers with dejected faces stepped out. Not a very good omen.

The ride there went by quickly. As an express line it didn't have to make any other stops, so we didn't get any good views as we passed by. Not that we would see anything of course, the entire ride we were underground. Only one thing to think about and that was our upcoming gym battles.

* * *

><p>Inside the gym was well, for lack of a better word, wow! The waiting room was designed with several different styles of architecture in mind. All sorts of trainers packed inside, some with smaller pokemon out, but one guy was pointedly showing off a Luxray. The walk from the subway station to here wasn't hard on the eyes either, with gigantic glass walls and roof offering views of the city and Lake Ontario.<p>

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a familiar face. The same dude from the pokemon centre was standing by the door to what I assumed was the arena. What would he be doing here? You know, besides taking up space and breathing.

"Hello again." I said, startling him. The dude turned to see me and instantly brightened up.

"Hey there, how are you guys?" he asked.

"Fine but what are you doing here?" Carly obnoxiously responded getting a little too close to him for everyone's comfort.

"You see, my occupation is formally known as League Challenge Advisor, but those in the know refer to us as Gym Guys." He said with a grin. "It's our job to give you some general strategy about how to prepare. Like for instance, the gym leader uses Normal types, the most diverse type of pokemon because of how culturally diverse Toronto is. They are weak to Fighting type moves and Ghost types are immune to normal type attacks. But that's all you get about her."

I was still impressed, but had a few questions. "Is this even allowed by the league?"

Eagerly with a fresh smile he replied with "I'm on their payroll, aren't I?"

"Alright then, why were you even at the pokemon centre if your job is here?" Carly asked wearing a Sherlock Holmes stereotypical cap and holding a magnifying glass. Wait, where did she get those?

"Well my job may be here, but I also own a Mankey that gets anxious if I don't battle every now and then. Besides, I like helping first time challengers get off on the right foot. You're lucky too. In a few days you have to start making appointments for gym battles." He told us. Continuing he said "If you need anything else while you are here, my name is Jim Gui."

Weird name. Moving on though, we had to check in with the receptionist. The one at the desk was one of those receptionists. You know the old, cranky one who doesn't know what she is doing. This was going to be hell. "Trevor, you do the talking." I said.

The registration process went surprisingly quickly. She asked for our pokedexes, if we would like to register for the league after this badge and had us sign off on an insurance waiver. The only hitch was that our names came up as missing persons. We were in deep crap.

Trevor was about to make a scene and blow things well out of proportion when a young woman came along. She had tanned skin and light brown hair down to about her shoulders. I didn't know they made tank tops with necks that low or shorts that were so... so... gah! Wait, who am I, Trevor? She was easily four or five years older than we were. I couldn't shake the feeling I'd seen her before...

"Is there a problem?" she asked tilting her head. I groaned inwardly when I saw where Trevor was looking through all of this.

The receptionist started to panic immediately. "No Jane everything is fine. It's just some sort of clerical error."

The woman, Jane was not fazed in the slightest. "Well can I take a look?" Jane asked.

I should have guessed something was up the second the receptionist pulled away. Jane immediately turned the monitor around to face us and taken the wireless keyboard into her lap. "I think I can get rid of these. After all, I clearly know where you are. Let's see, Carly graduated from an accelerated trainer schooling program, so she's fine. Markus has the grades for me to pull an academic clearance. Trevor on the other hand, I'm not sure. You have passing grades, but barely and there are several infractions for misconduct with female students- not all with consent of the other party, I may add." Trevor could only look away and smirk, not ashamed at all.

Jane continued. "However, I might be able to add a community service to your record which would counterbalance enough of those rule breakings to clear you. Thing is, it's not exactly helping out with the Garbodor problem."

What else did she have in mind?

* * *

><p>"What do you mean; you want us to help stop a gang?" I asked inside what appeared to be some sort of preparation room. "If the police aren't able to do it, why should we have to?"<p>

Clearly irked, Jane glared at me, prompting me to shut up. Trevor then looked at me and said "I need backup. I'm not going in there alone. Besides, did you hear about what happened to the gym trainer they sent? The Tauros' pokeball is the only thing they got back." Serves that guy right for saying it was his only pokemon and he'd never left the city in his life. These thugs had enough brain power to figure out a lie. Albeit, a damn obvious one.

"Besides, you aren't stopping them, you're gathering evidence. We know they aren't following battle regulations and doping up their pokemon. We don't have proof. You wear a video camera on your person, get footage of a battle, a few shots of the pokemon and you're done. Need I remind you it's the only opening we have for your community service?"

More like something for an office betting pool. The bet? If and how long we would survive for.

Through all of this I couldn't spot one person who had been with us until now. What happened to Carly? I couldn't voice my thoughts though as we were being ushered out already.

* * *

><p>The building they sent us to was an abandoned warehouse. Cliché, yes but it would serve their purpose well. Lots of space to conduct deals and battle without pesky eyes. To top it off, we nearly tripped some sort of warning mechanism out front. Thugs with brains and foresight. Definitely not good.<p>

Once we got in, I made sure my camera was doing what it was supposed to be. All sorts of street pokemon were out on display. Scrafty. Muk. Honchkrow. Nasty pokemon everywhere you looked. All looked bulkier, more vicious than they were supposed to even in the wild. One nasty little bugger of a Scraggy had glowing red eyes and was foaming at the mouth. I was definitely freaked out.

A big burly black guy with dreads, a torn hoodie and baggy jeans came up to us. 'Please don't introduce yourself." I screamed inside my head.

"Hello gentlemen."

Why _us_?

"Care for a battle? Oh excuse me, I didn't introduce myself. Name's Abakada."

Trevor handled this like a pro. "Name's Howard Wolowitz. My friend is Sheldon Cooper. We're just looking to watch, thank you." Saved by the slacker. Never thought I'd think that.

"Well, you're in for a treat. My Nidoking is undefeated. And this a- hole thinks he can beat me." Abakada said, pointing to some unremarkable punk. This would be perfect. The sooner we were out of here the better.

The battle descended into madness immediately. The Nidoking was nearly seven feet tall, and the poor Growlithe it was beating the snot out off wasn't getting any sympathy. I'd been able to catch that the people were too close to the battle as to risk injury, but we needed a clincher for the charges to stick.

"Nidoking, finish it". The hulking purple beast went in for the kill. Good enough. As we started to step out, I tripped dangerously near our host.

The camera I'd been wearing was attached to my denim jacket's shoulder, after I decided changing would make me look like I fit in. Abakada had been courteous enough to help me up. Thing is, he saw the cracked lens.

To say our cover was blown was an understatement. "Gym Trainers! Get'em!" he yelled. Every pokemon in the place was intent on killing us. Trevor and I ran, dodging the attacks that were being sent our way with more than a few close calls. As we ran outside, it only got worse. Now that we were outside, there was more space for hostile pokemon and fewer fights over who got it, surrounding us all the while. If the police cruiser hadn't driven by, and they hadn't scattered, we wouldn't still be here.

"So, get the footage?" Jane asked hopefully. I put the camera on the table.

"Happy?" I asked, with an irritated look showing I clearly wasn't. As she bent over to examine the footage, I had to look away to keep from pulling a very, "Trevor" move.

"Excellent, they'll go behind bars for sure. Thank you. Trevor, you are cleared." Jane said with a gleeful smile.

What a relief. I stopped to think and realized something. Why would she have the authority to do all of this? I mean, clear us for the league and use the receptionist's computer? And where was Carly this whole time?

Well, at least one of those questions was answered. Carly walked into the room, beaming. Why was she so happy?

"GuysIwonagymbadge!" Carly screamed out as one incomprehensible blurb. It was the shiny new badge case she showed me that clued me in. Carly was proud owner of an Urban Badge. We weren't. Then that meant…

Really, it took me that long to figure it out? I'm not that slow. At least, I think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"So Trevor, who goes first? Will you volunteer, or will we draw straws?" I asked. I still couldn't believe it had taken that long for me to figure out who Jane was in this Gym. The Gym Leader! Carly had already beaten her. I couldn't let that psyche me out though. Carly went into an accelerated class so that she would have special prep for this, remember Markus?

"I think I'll go first. Maybe let myself get to know her better." Trevor said, with one of those grins. Perv. Jim then came over to find out our decision. I wanted to see if I could watch their battle, seeing as how Carly would watch both of ours. When I asked if I could Jim told me "By doing so you forfeit the possibility of her using the same team. Is that okay?" That was fine. I couldn't wait to see how she battled, and I expected something of the like to happen anyway.

"Trevor, what are you waiting for? Get your arse into the arena now. I'm going to the spectator box." With that, I gave him a friendly shove and made my way over to where spectators were allowed to watch.

* * *

><p>"This will be a two on two battle between Jane Doe, leader of the Toronto Gym, and the challenger, Trevor Macullen. The challenger is the only one allowed to make substitutions. Failure to let either party recall a pokemon will result in forfeit." The referee said. "Let the battle begin!"<p>

Trevor went with one of his pokemon I hadn't seen for a while: Lotad. Of course from where Carly and I were sitting, you could only really see the lily pad on its head. Jane's response was a long light brown pokemon with darker brown stripes and ears that made fluid yet jerky motions. A Furret. I'd like to see how this one played out.

"Challenger gets first move." Jane called out. "Lotad, Nature Power!" Trevor responded. Never heard of that move. Lotad began to form a white triangle in front of it than blasted towards her Furret and was about to connect when the normal type jerked its head down. The attack phased out of existence immediately after. "Alright Lotad, change to bubble beam! Follow the rat's movements!"

Lotad then shot a stream of high impact spheres of water at Furret who although it dodged still with its moving body, had a harder time of doing so as lotad's Bubble Beam trailed it. "Lotad needs to get in closer. In fact, why hasn't Furret come in for an attack?" I muttered to myself. Was Jane planning something?

"Furret, Slam!" Jane called. At this moment Furret ran towards Lotad and slammed its tail right into its gigantic nose. Continuing with whatever she had planned Jane called out "Now, Toxic!" Furret's tail began to glow a shadowy purple and once again hit Lotad except this time not causing damage. Lotad began to glow a lighter shade of purple instead. "Furret, Baton Pass" Jane finished.

Furret disappeared and in its place a new pokemon appeared. The pokemon was mainly pink, with beady black eyes, arms with only the tiniest of thumbs, doubled over tail and cream markings on its chest. Its most distinguishing feature was that it had a tongue nearly touching the floor and the thing was a little over a metre tall! (**A/N A little under four feet for the Americans).**

The referee was dumfounded. He didn't know what to say at first but came up with a call. "As Jane has changed pokemon with a move instead of by her own actions, Furret is no longer admissible in this battle but Jane has not forfeited." Jane seemed fine with that, like she was counting on it to happen.

"Lickitung, Lick!" Jane called. So the thing was called a Lickitung. Going back to the battle however, Lickitung's tongue shot across the battle, covering Lotad in saliva. The shock and poison pushed Lotad over the edge however and it passed out. Even with the poison though Lotad should have gotten an attack in. "Carly what does Baton Pass do again?"

Giving me a look like I was stupid, Carly then told me in a voice used for little kids, "It makes Furret go back to trainer, but if Furret go boosty, new pokemon is as boosty."

"Wait, what do you mean by boosty?" I asked her.

"You know, boosting moves. Like Agility or Defense Curl. I'm guessing Furret used Hone Claws. It makes the Pokemon's power and accuracy stats go up." That explained a lot. Now Trevor was down to one pokemon and had to fight a much stronger Lickitung.

"Five bucks he sends out Charmander." I I suggested to Carly.

"You're on" She replied.

"Charmander, I choose you!" Trevor called out dramatically. He struck a pose too. Sad, just plain sad. But hey, five bucks in my pocket!

"A Charmander, huh? I wish I saw more of these guys. They make battles fun." Jane said. "Once again, challenger gets first move."

"Charmander, use Ember!" Trevor called out. Bright red hot sparks went flying out of Charmander's mouth but Lickitung seemed to giggle when they hit. Did it find the flames _ticklish_?

"Alright Charmander, we need a new plan of attack. Aerial Ace!" Charmander ran towards Lickitung, only to have a tongue wrap around Charmander and lift the salamander into the air.

Trevor was visibly psyched out by this. I'd seen trainers use what I assumed was Lickitung's evolved form Lickilicky battle on TV though and this was the tip of the iceberg of what the two species could do. Maybe Trevor _wasn't _such a hotshot?

Charmander began flailing around, swinging its tail and limbs wildly. The flame on Charmander's tail hit the underside of Lickitung's tongue however and if it was possible, Lickitung's eyes shrunk. The tongue quickly went shooting back into Lickitung's face and Charmander was sent falling.

Taking advantage of the new momentum, Trevor called out "Charmander, Aerial Ace again!" Charmander angled itself in mid air and went zooming in towards Lickitung, with an outstretched claw. Charmander hit its mark straight on its pink opponent's noggin.

Lickitung tried to gather its bearings but Charmander was firmly clamped onto its face. Trevor had a devilish grin on his face. Charmander gripped onto the Lickitung's head and bowed down its head to have its mouth level with the dots the pink pokemon called eyes.

Trevor then had Charmander go in for the kill. "Ember!" The little bursts of flame shot directly into their target at point blank. The poor Lickitung couldn't take the heat, no pun intended, and collapsed. "Lickitung is unable to battle! The challenger wins."

Recalling the now unconscious Lickitung, Jane walked over to Trevor. "Congrats Trevor. Here's your Urban Badge. We'll get you a badge case. Markus, it's time to close up. You'll be guaranteed a battle tomorrow."

"FU-"

* * *

><p>Back at the pokemon centre, Carly and Trevor were rubbing it in my face. That they had a badge and I didn't. I remained silent and didn't show any emotion besides a scowl until I was back in the room the Nurse put Trevor and me in. Trevor hogged the washroom for a good hour, giving me time to think and ask myself questions.<p>

Should I be taking the challenge? Was I good enough? Were the three of us taking things too fast? Why did two of my Pokemon hate me for no reason other than that I was their trainer? Had I caught too many Pokemon too early on?

I then thought about which members of my team I could use. Mudkip was definitely there because if a trainer can't count on their starter, who can they? Taillow would probably attack me the instant I let it out. Kricketune grew quickly as a bug type anyway. I'd just gotten Electrike this morning around the time Trevor said we'd be challenging Jane. Turtwig, well I'm not sure what to say.

All of this thinking tired me out, and I fell asleep on the uncomfortable mattress the centre provided as soon as I closed my eyes.

* * *

><p>"This will be a two on two battle between Jane Doe, Leader of the Toronto Gym, and the challenger, Markus Puttnam. Same rules apply as yesterday, except Jane may not use any pokemon she chose yesterday. Begin!" The referee called.<p>

Without a sound, I tossed out Mudkip's pokeball as Jane made her choice. It had a very light purple body with yellow tips to the pair of rabbit like ears and feet, stubby little arms and lines in compass point formations for eyes. Her choice of Pokemon was getting more and more obscure. I'd never seen a Lickitung before yesterday, and now didn't know what this was.

"Challenger-" Jane began to prompt before I interrupted her.

"Gets first move, I know. Mudkip, Water Gun!" I called out to the blue Pokemon in front of me. A burst of water went shooting out of Mudkip's mouth, but the purple thing screamed out of fright and the steady stream of liquid was disrupted and hit the ground.

"Keep up the Uproar Whismur!"

Whoa, déjà vu. My attacks were being disrupted by sound again. It wasn't like Mudkip knew any attacks that could steal energy either. Then the attack and the noise that came with it stopped. Whismur's ear things went from being practically vertical when it started screaming to flat against its body.

Say, that gives me another idea. "Mudkip, Ice Beam on the ears."

The light blue blast of light went shooting towards Whismur, connecting with the upper part of the squat Pokémon's body/head. Ice immediately formed around the ears and plastered them to Whismur. The thing panicked and started running around the arena. What was its problem?

Whismur started to breathe through its mouth, but with serious difficulty. I didn't see a nose or even nostrils on its face. Did Whismur breathe through their ears? Okay, that was a stupid thought. Their nostrils being there was much more likely.

Oh my god, I indirectly attempted to kill a Pokemon! "Mudkip, break some of the ice with your tail!"

Mudkip ran over to Whismur and leaped over top of it, tackling it to the ground. At least the ice cracked far enough down to let some air in. Whismur collapsed and fell unconscious, from all of the stress it had just endured.

Jane recalled her Pokemon as the referee called "Whismur is unable to battle!"

As she went to make her next choice, I could feel her glare from the other side of the arena in the challenger's box. Why does the phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' come to mind?

Her next choice was another Pokemon I'd never seen, but had heard of. The Porygon was mostly pink with a blue nose, belly and feet, made up of straight lines and shapes producing jagged angles on its body. Produced by man, it and its evolutions had been one of the latest advances in technology. But that was years ago and they had faded into obscurity.

Keeping Mudkip out, I decided to stick with the same strategy as before. "Water Gun."

The Porygon started flying through the air, going well above the blast of water. That would mess up my strategy. "Switch to Ice Beam. Fire as many of them as you can until one of them hits". I was_ not_ losing this battle.

Mudkip kept launching the light blue streams of light, but none touched the Porygon who was floating around with a blank stare on its face, like it was… calculating something?

Suddenly, the Porygon's edges sharpened into points and rammed its self into my water type. Mudkip skidded back, and then took a point blank electric attack, knocking it out. Jane hadn't spoken since Porygon had been sent out and I was starting to worry.

Jane put on a devilish smirk as I recalled Mudkip. "Like the way my Porygon fights? This guy is naturally smart enough for me not to have to say a single word, yet know exactly what to do. "

Well, I was royally screwed. My next Pokémon could affect how the entire battle went. I hope I made the right choice.

**And that's it for now folks. Please, check out and vote in my poll! I want to see which rival personalities you want to see.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Well, my next Pokémon would change how I'd fight for the rest of the battle. Not to mention I'd be fighting against a Pokémon that would give no indication of Jane's plans. I still hoped I made the right choice when I called out my next Pokémon.

"Electrike, on point!" I called out. Probably the fastest Pokémon I owned that wasn't weak to electric type attacks. Plus, I think I had a strategy for taking that annoying piece of programming down.

Porygon had the same look on its face it had when it was dodging Mukip's Ice Beam. "Electrike, don't move no matter how tempting it gets." I told the canine.

Porygon then shot a beam of multi-coloured light at Electrike. What move was that? I couldn't even guess what type it was.

"Electrike, dodge with Quick Attack!" Electrike using the boost of speed the move provided ran directly behind Porygon who made mechanical motions to turn.

"Now use Thunder Wave!' I called out, happy Electrike knew the attack. I had needed something to do on the subway ride here after all. The weak burst of blue lightning_ barely _managed to hit its target, bringing the Porygon down to the floor.

Jane started calling the shots now, deciding her judgement was better and had "Porygon use Charge Beam!"

I didn't order my electric type to dodge, knowing what would happen. Electrike raised its tail in the air, absorbing the attack. I then went for the finishing strike, having been waiting for this moment nearly 24 hours.

"Spark!" Electrike rushed straight into Porygon, body crackling with electricity. When the green Pokémon collided with its target, Porygon had a major electric shock pass through its system.

As Electrike bounced back using the force of its own momentum, I waited for the ref to call Porygon out. No dice. Damn piece of outdated antivirus!

While unable to move from its spot, Porygon knew moves that could attack from a distance and had the stamina to keep going. Jane wasn't letting me win without a fight.

"Psybeam again Porygon!" Another multi-coloured beam went shooting in Electrike's direction.

Well, now or never. "Electrike, Signal beam." I calmly stated. Electrike formed a yellow, blue and pink ball of energy in front of its snout that a beam of the same colours darted out from.

Electrike and Porygon's attacks met in the center of the battlefield and because they looked so similar I couldn't tell which the stronger move was. I started weighing my odds about whether things would go in my favour.

Porygon then fell flat on its back, unconscious with the weird swirls in its eyes so typical of Pokémon defeated in battle. 'Porygon is unable to battle! The challenger wins!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was the most significant moment of my life. If Taillow had knocked put me into a coma where I'd only dream of success in the Pokemon League, don't wake me up.

Jane made her way over to me, new badge case and gym badge in hand. "Markus, I proudly present you with an Urban Badge for defeating me."

The badge was designed to look like a skyscraper with a rectangular gray body punctuated with cobalt blue to represent windows. And it was mine. The badge case I'd been given was black and rectangular, with a red stripe towards the right hand side. When opened up, it had space for eight badges, set up in two rows of four.

I set my gym badge- I couldn't stop saying that in my head- in my new case and exited the building, a triumphant smile on my face.

* * *

><p>At the Pokémon centre, I went on the video chat terminal, as I had some questions for Professor Pine. I dialled the number I'd been given less than a week ago- had it only been that long? - and I waited for him to pick up. His face popped up on the monitor and I could tell I'd disturbed him in the middle of something important.<p>

"You imbecile! This window popped up and I was so startled I may have aggroed the entire mob on me! This better be important." He said. His face was so close to the camera I could tell he hadn't shaved for several days.

"Sorry for disrupting you Professor, but I had some questions and wanted to send you a couple of Pokémon." I said rather sheepishly. Had he been playing an online game when he was supposed to be doing research, on _grant_ money?

"Fine, questions first. Puttnam, Markus, right?" The professor reluctantly agreed.

"Well, my Mudkip knows the move Ice Beam and my friend's Charmander knows Aerial Ace. We haven't taught the moves to either of them. Could you maybe explain this to us?"

"It looks like the fathers of the two knew those moves. You see, when trainers breed Pokémon, sometimes moves they taught the father are known from the offspring at birth. It sometimes happens to starters native to distant places, because we need more breeding stock parents to keep up with the demand. Therefore, we hire out trainers to help. Both attacks are useful and you should be glad to have them." The professor explained like he was giving a lecture.

"Alright, what about the fact my Electrike knows Signal Beam? Manetric can't learn that attack, Wild Pokemon don't crossbreed and Electrike don't have it as an egg move." I told him.

"Well that's more the area of expertise of my colleague living near New York. From what I do understand however, sometimes Pokemon dream of moves in their sleep and wake up knowing them. This brings up another point you may not know. A Pokemon can learn as many moves as it's able to, but only four are permitted to be used in a battle at the same time." The professor said continuing with his lecture. I began to nod, taking it all in.

"Now you wanted to send me some Pokémon? Which ones?" he asked, remembering I mentioned it from earlier.

"Yes, I want to send you my Kricketune, and my, huh I can't decide. My Taillow I guess." I told him, pulling out their Pokeballs and hooking them up to the matter transporter, which was a chamber that held enough room for three Pokeballs to be transported at once. I was about to press the button when Trevor ran over and interrupted me.

"Is it too late for me to send Raticate to you as well Prof?" Trevor interjected.

"No that's fine. Macullen, Trevor right?" Trevor nodded in response. Raticate's Pokeball was put in the transporter and confident Carly wouldn't interrupt we pushed the button. One flash of light later, the chamber was empty. As we signed off the chat, Carly walked over to us, making everyone accounted for.

"Are you packed?" I asked Trevor.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? Do you know where the next gym is?

"C'est dans Montreal." I said in my best French. "It's a long distance even by bike, without stopping to train, and there are fewer Pokémon centres the farther we get from here. We may have to camp.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let us be off!" Carly yelled in a dramatic fashion as we left.

* * *

><p>We biked out of the city, weaving through traffic and along the highway, being careful not to lose one another. Well, I was. Trevor wanted to ditch Carly and made every possible attempt to do so. As we left the city, the surrounding area was less urban and more rural.<p>

By mid-afternoon, we'd come up to an empty field. We stopped here to rest, and I'd never seen such clear skies. Is this why people take a few Pokémon and explore? To see what an amazing place the world could be?

I took the opportunity to explain the current situation to my team. "Alright, the three of you are going to be the main core of my team for the next little while. Kricketune and Taillow are going to be taking a break."

Mudkip was the only one to somewhat understood what I meant. Then again, neither Turtwig nor Electrike had actually met any other Pokémon I owned. My own fault I guess. I was supposed to train them to be a team, not only bring them put when I needed them.

"Alright, this is your chance to get to know each other. I'm watching you." I told the three. After letting them run lose I saw Carly's team had changed.

Instead of a Cascoon, Carly now had a Beautifly. The bug type now was like a gray butterfly with a curled up proboscis, bright patterns on its wings and stubby limbs. One thing that hadn't changed was the murderous look it gave me. This was only punctuated with the sudden shooting of its proboscis that _just _fell short of my neck. May I never be in the general vicinity of that bug. EVER.

A least I finally saw what sort of personalities my Pokemon had. Mudkip never went more than a few feet away from me at any given time. Electrike was dashing all over the place, eager to say hi to anything nearby with a pulse.

And Turtwig just stood there, unmoving with that same blank stare on its face. I honestly worried for that little guy, because he didn't seem to connect with anyone and after finally consulting my Pokedex on the matter, I had learned my current team was all dudes.

One thing quickly became clear to me that could end in no good. I had lost track of Trevor. Despite being effectively in the middle of nowhere, Trevor could be causing horrendous amounts of mischeif in the field. I mean, virtually anyone can build a flamethrower out of body spray and a lighter.

Or a Charmander's tail flame!

When he did finally turn up, I could only hope the people he was talking to were friendly.

**And that's a wrap folks. Now you still have until 24 hours after this chapter appears before I close the rival personality poll. I also have nothing in reserve so I can't be keeping up with the constant posting you may have gotten used to towards the end of August. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I jogged over to where Trevor was, in hopes of seeing who the people he was talking to were. When I got closer, I found out it was a pair of trainers, a boy and a girl.

The girl was short compared to me, but still a little taller than Trevor and Carly. Her dark brown hair went to just underneath her shoulders and her skin was lightly tanned. I guessed she was about our age. The guy was even taller than me, had black hair and a slight muscle tone, giving off an aura of importance. Probably older than we were, too.

Neither of them looked like they were traveling traditionally. The dude was dressed in a white golf shirt and some light blue jeans without a speck of dirt on them, while she wore a white skirt in similar condition and… a pair of _flip flops_? That must get uncomfortable.

Unsure of how to enter the conversation, Trevor bailed me out of the predicament with a simple call of, "Hey Markus!"

Close one. "These people are the lovely Nicole and Chuck." Trevor continued, without any enthusiasm when mentioing the male trainer's name.

"Well, it's been a pleasure talking with you Trevor but we are going back to our car. And please, I told you my name was Charles", Chuck said. You know the one guy you want to punch in the face right after meeting them? Five guesses who that was for me right now.

"Wait, how about a battle?" I blurted out impulsively, not sure what my mouth was saying. "We could do a double battle or a rotation battle if one of you would choose two Pokémon", I continued. Shut up Markus!

"Such trivial amusements. Very well. I accept a rotation battle on the behalf of Nicole. I will be sending out two of my creatures so as to ensure our victory", Chuck said. Yeah, Chuck was a better name for this guy.

"Hey Carly, get your derriere over here! We need you for a battle."

* * *

><p>"Alright troops, what's the game plan?" Trevor said when the three of us were huddled together. "We need to beat this guy."<p>

"We'll each be using a Pokémon? And there'll be three on each side?" Carly asked. Wasn't this part of her curriculum?

"Of course." I said.

"Then we do a Grass, Water, Fire trio. Trevor, you use Charmander because it's our only source of fire. Totodile didn't get any action last gym battle so I'll use him."

"Wait, why didn't you use Totodile? I asked Carly, "Your starter is your strongest ally."

"I wanted to evolve Beautifly." Carly replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

No debating that then. But that left me with Turtwig. Hopefully that guy was up for a battle. Oh, who am I kidding? We're screwed.

* * *

><p>We stood across the field from Chuck and Nicole, staring one another down. Sort of like a bad western, if that gives you the right image. Only one thing was missing.<p>

"Draw!" I called to the other side of the field. With that, six pokeballs went flying at one another.

Their choices really psyched me out. Not only did they use a similar line up strategy, but we weren't facing Oddish and Psyduck.

Servine, Dewott and Tepig. I guessed the last one was Nicole's. It was the only one that didn't look like it was pushed to its limit to become stronger.

"Trevor, tap me in," I said as soon as the Dewott took a step forward. One high five later and Turtwig had curled up inside his shell as a pair of seashells slammed across the turtle leaving trails of blue energy.

"Razor Leaf," I said. As the leaves started blasting across the battle field, the otter performed a backflip, dodging every leaf and an anxious Tepig and equally nervous Nicole took control of their side of the battle.

Another high five and Totodile was shooting a blast of water from its jaws, putting out weak embers from Tepig. The water connected and the pig started to slide back.

Then the Servine jumped in and a gust of wind filled with leaves and grass swept the crocodile off of his feet. Totodile was then carried up, constantly bombarded with debris. One rough landing later Totodile was barely standing.

"Servine, Vine Whip," Chuck called and with two solid hits from the previously mentioned vines, Totodile was out.

As soon as Charmander re-joined the battle, things swung right back in our favour. "Charmander, cover the battlefield with Smokescreen," Trevor said and a black fog covered the entire battle field. As Trevor walked over to me, I hoped our strategy would work.

Just as we anticipated, the Dewott ran forward for another attack with its shells as Turtwig slammed his head into the water type's chest. "Point blank Razor Leaf Turtwig!"

Immediately after I issued the command, the leaves pounded into Dewott's chest, the water type staggering back until it couldn't take any more punishment and fainted. And then there were four.

"Trevor, save Charmander, it's probably our only chance of winning this thing." I told him as Servine stepped onto the field.

"Leaf tornado on the inferior," Chuck said. The same gust of wind began to whip around Turtwig.

"Trevor, Carly, I suggest you hit the ground," I said, ready to put another plan into action.

"Turtwig, Razor Leaf and don't stop." The leaves began to shoot out of the tornado, spinning in a circle as Turtwig was tossed inside the tornado with reckless abandon. However, as the leaves cut up the grass and weeds surrounding the windstorm, it became harder for Turtwig to attack. At the same time Servine could barely keep its focus, half-lidded eyes narrowed in concentration

When the whirlwind subsided, Turtwig went into its shell again on his own, kicking up dust upon impact but unharmed.

"Absorb." As a comfortable olive green energy surrounded Servine, the opposing snake began striding over to Turtwig. When the gap was closed, Servine turned around and slammed its tail right across the turtles face.

Turtwig span around almost comically and collapsed spread-eagle. That left Charmander to fight two largely uninjured Pokémon, one of which would leave him at a type disadvantage. Frakk my life.

"Charmander, roast the darn thing!" Trevor called out. Charmander began spewing Embers and weak bursts of flame at Servine. The opposing reptile could only coil up in response, unable to respond or risk a hit to a vulnerable area.

"Servine, retreat. It's not worth it." Wait, was Chuck actually watching out for one of his 'creatures'?

That left Tepig and Charmander to duke it out. Maybe we could get lucky.

"Aerial Ace that bacon," Trevor squealed. Charmander ran forward, claw out stretched. Tepig responded with a command from Nicole I wasn't able to hear, but could clearly see as Tepig charged across the field as an orb of fire.

As the two attacks rammed into one another, I couldn't tell who was overpowering the other. When both collapsed however, I was shocked. Shouldn't Charmander have withstood more damage?

"Well, looks like we win by default. Good bye and good riddance," Chuck said as he walked away.

I knew one of thing that would make us feel better. "Bye then Nicole, Chuck."

I just wish I could have seen his face when he screeched, "My name is CHARLES!"

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think Nicole's deal was, traveling with Chuck? Siblings?" I asked Trevor as Carly walked away to sulk.<p>

"Doubt it. Chuck's hair wasn't dyed- I can tell. I mean, I've appreciated a few bottle blondes in my time. Even if it was the musculoskeletal structures of their faces are completely different.

"Trevor were you…"

"No Markus, it wasn't like that. She's a pancake. And for a guy like Chuck, that's not going to get his attention."

"Pancake?" I asked him, confused about what he meant.

"You know, like a prairie. In math terms, 180 degrees."

"Okay, I get the picture. But onto more pressing matters. Why wasn't Charmander able to take the hit? It even resisted the move." I asked him.

"Last night I snuck out. Did a little training. You know, some urban stuff. Get used to Voltorb and the like. Why, did you honestly think I was hogging the bathroom or something?"

Well, this was awkward. "Um, no, I was just so tired I fell right to sleep. But when did you get back?"

"Can't be sure. Maybe like 3 something?" Trevor guessed.

"Anyways, maybe we should get going." Immediately after I said that, I tried to mount my bike. Keyword being tried. I fell over as soon as I pushed the pedals. My legs felt like they were on fire. The two of us must have been a sight, Trevor laughing like a madman while I was in a fetal position screaming vulgarities.

"Maybe we should camp here for the night. Trevor, do you know how to set up a tent?"

"I thought you were supposed to learn how."

Carly had walked back over to us during the last part of our conversation. When she heard we couldn't set up tents, she rolled her eyes. "You two are pathetic. I already have both tents up."

With a smug grin on my face, I turned to Trevor and said, "To think you wanted to leave her behind."

**That's a wrap folks! As of now you have met the story's main cast. Are Chuck and Nicole Sues? And a dilemma came up for me- should I refer to Charles/Chuck as Charles or Chuck outside of the story, because Markus already made his choice. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

To those of you who camp for fun: why? It's uncomfortable, cold, damp and cramped. Topping things off, tents never fit as many people as they say they can. Otherwise it's perfectly fine.

"My back will never be okay ever again" I said to no one in particular, holding it in a futile attempt to remove numerous cricks in my back. Once again, why do people camp?

This officially was the worst morning of my journey so far. Once I finally changed into some clothes, I stepped outside to take in some of the fresh air.

"Bloody hell, it smells horrible! What died out here?" This would set the tone of my day.

* * *

><p>So here we are, Trevor, Carly and myself, sitting around a tiny fire and boiling water for a breakfast of instant oatmeal and whatever liquid was in our water bottles. Fun.<p>

"This stench is killing me. What could possibly produce a scent that bad?" Trevor asked.

"Rotting carcasses, sewage, this one giant flower's bloom, Gloom, other various poison types- take your pick. Any of them could be the cause." Carly said, while listing causes off on her fingers as she said them.

Well, considering where we were, I knew only two of the causes were possible. Poison types. One wouldn't hurt as an addition to my team, right?

Hold on Markus, seriously getting ahead of yourself here. You sent back Kricketune and Taillow for the very reason of having too many Pokémon, right? But poison types can mess with an opponent's mind…

"Why does this have to be so hard?" I shouted out loud, only to have two freaked out stares in response.

"What, can't a guy vocalize internal thought struggles in public peacefully anymore?" Judging from the lack of change in their responses, no.

"Well, my legs are still attempting assault and battery on the rest of my body, so why don't we split up and train? We'll meet up here for lunch and keep going to Montreal this afternoon," I proposed. I took Carly's look of 'whatever' and Trevor's shrug as affirmative responses.

With that, we split up.

* * *

><p>I decided to let Electrike and Mudkip out of their pokeballs, without any plans of training. Yes, I was going to find the source of the smell. These two would be the perfect dudes for the job.<p>

"Alright, Electrike, find the smell boy. Find the smell," I said in a playful voice used for pets. Electrike was retching in response. How much better was his sense of smell compared to mine again?

"Look, how does some bacon if you find the scent's source sound?" Electrike then began to hold his breath, refusing to sniff the ground. When I promised it some bacon, it changed its mind and began to sniff in a heartbeat. As soon as the canine began running, I picked up the pace and followed practically on the dog's heels.

"The hunt is on Mudkip!"

* * *

><p>"Electrike, slow down. Let's take it easy. Mudkip and I can't keep up." I panted, having stopped to catch my breath. Surely all of this running so soon couldn't be good for me.<p>

Fortunately, we had gotten close. The aroma's increase in strength told me that. Very soon I'd find this Pokémon and-what was that?

A furry quadruped with largely purple fur, whiskers and a bushy tail stuck its head out of the bushes. As it took a step forward the most striking feature of it was its beige stripe running down its back to its bushy tail. I'd never seen one before in my life.

I pulled out my Pokedex, glad I'd had the sense to bring it. "_Stunky", _it stated, "_The Skunk Pokémon. When threatened, it sprays a foul smelling liquid in self defense."_

Well, that explains the stench. But what could possibly be threatening it? Hold on; this isn't some sort of filler episode for an anime! That Stunky is mine!

The thick black fog that the Stunky produced told me it thought otherwise. "What was that?"

"_Haze. An ice type attack which produces black smoke and removes status ailments. Commonly used by trainers for its first effect."_ My Pokedex said.

"Who asked you?"

"_You did."_

Great. I have a wise ass Pokedex. How could life get any better?

My melancholy train of thought was interrupted by an agitated Noctowl. Wait what was it doing up? I thought they only came out at night. And I may know squat about flying types, but this guy looked hungry.

Actually, that Stunky did look like it was pretty panicked so…

New plan. "Electrike, Mudkip, follow that Noctowl." I was not letting a pokemon I'd called dibs on get away. Or rather, eaten!

* * *

><p>"Oh come on! Does the universe hate me or something?"<p>

I then turned to the sky and yelled, "What did I ever do to you!"

Well, the Noctowl had led me nowhere. I had a better idea of where Stunky was. Seriously, do Noctowl have nostrils?

More rustling noises. Finally something good was happening today, to me at least. Sure enough, the skunk poked its head out of another set of bushes.

Of course, the owl's screech wasn't a welcome sound either.

"Mudkip, Ice beam and Electrike, Thunder wave!" I could only hope the attacks would hit their intended targets.

Well, fifty percent isn't bad right?

* * *

><p>Sitting back where we had woken up that morning, I could only wait impatiently with the others. Counting down the time until someone got back was pretty much the only way I could pass the time I had thought of.<p>

Five minutes, and no sign of anyone.

Ten minutes, and Trevor finally arrived.

Fifteen minutes, and an elated Carly showed up, having taken her sweet time to do so. What was she so happy about?

"Check out my new Shinx guys", Carly said with a clear smile on her face. Sure enough, the little blue lion cub was right beside her. It seemed to grin at us in response. Of course, the species was usually pretty happy as a whole.

As we started making ourselves lunch, I held my newly filled pokeball fondly.

"Stunky, welcome to the team girl", I thought to myself. My regular six line up was already starting to form in my head. And I could say I was proud of the end results.

What, surprised? Maybe I should tell you how it all played out.

You see, Electrike's _and_ Mudkip's attacks both hit the Noctowl. And that's how we were standing there- Me, an unconscious Noctowl a few feet away, and one frightened Stunky.

Corny as it sounds, I asked Stunky if she wanted to join me and left the choice up to her, reasoning with her about how I saved her life. She willingly chose to go into the pokeball.

You know, maybe life doesn't hate me. I have a gym badge, I have some… unique pokemon, I have traveling companions who don't want to kill me yet. Only one thing to do, and that's see where life takes me.

* * *

><p>The rest of that day was enjoyable for my. We biked, Trevor and I had a couple of casual battles with other trainers when we stopped for breaks and we had our share of laughs without trying to purposely lose anyone. Of course, now it was starting to get dark.<p>

"Guys, we might have to stop here and-" Carly began before I interjected with a loud cry of,

"Never!" I was not sleeping in some tent ever again if I could avoid it.

Wait a second was that a pokemon centre in the distance? Yes! Civilization and not having to sleep on the cold hard ground for the win!

**Alright, you know the drill. Review if you're able- I even let anonymous ones go through. Or, check out the story's discussion forum and let me know what you think there. Link for that is on my profile. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Before the chapter begins, I'd like to say thanks to anyone who has read this far. You people are the reason I write!**

**Chapter 10**

Montreal was a culture shock. Just by walking in the streets I could tell that each gym city would do the same for me. Not to mention that about two thirds of the conversations I heard were in French!

Of course, after dropping the majority of our things in the Pokémon centre, we were in the same dilemma as Toronto: where in the city was the gym?

So, after taking to the streets with freshly healed teams, we had our sights set on the next goal- Our second gym badge.

Now things would be going a lot quicker if Trevor hadn't hit on that one _really_ buff guy's girlfriend. Who happened to be with some of his equally buff friends.

"Guys, we're all civilized folks here. Maybe our Pokémon could settle this?" I asked them, hoping to avoid getting beat up about something I could have cared less about. The one holding Trevor up by his shirt collar agreed, or something to that effect. I had trouble understanding blurbs of very quick French.

Trevor came over to me when he was set down. "Are you insane? If their muscles are that big, wouldn't their Pokémon be that much bigger, too?" When did he get all voice of reason?

"You nearly got punched in the face twice in four days. You really want to argue? Besides, if you could keep it in your pants for more than a couple hours, we wouldn't be in this mess. You can thank me later," I replied.

People began to clear the square immediately. As Trevor and I took to the end opposite the body builders, we began to strategize.

"Look, in case this goes south quickly, I've got a Pokémon that can get us out of here quickly," I told him.

Trevor looked at me with disbelief and asked, "Why did you hold out on me? Is it a Gyarados, Tyranitar or Hydreigon?"

"No. It's a Stunky", I replied.

"Markus, please tell me you're bullshitting me."

"Nope. It's a Stunky. Trevor, is something the matter?" I responded.

"Thanks for setting us up for an assisted suicide. You are an amazing friend, going to all of this trouble. But I guess I'll send out Venipede if we have to battle first," Trevor said, his voice oozing sarcasm.

"Hey you two!" Carly called out from the spectators, "Too-tall and Pervert! We're waiting for you guys to start."

Understanding we would finish this later, Trevor and I released our Pokémon. The boyfriend and his buddy took one look at our poison types and laughed.

When they responded with a Steelix and a Hitmonlee, one glance at Trevor told me the same thought was going through our heads: "Shit."

A quick order in French was followed by Hitmonlee lunging forward with an outstretched leg and blazing foot. Blaze Kick.

Why didn't they just hand us our own shovels? It would save them time and energy for us to dig our own graves.

Back to more pressing manners. Hitmonlee's attack was stopped by a glowing turquoise orb surrounding Venipede, knocking the fighting type off balance for a complimentary dirt nap. Memo to self: Have Trevor show me that attack later.

My turn to attack. "Stunky, Haze!" I commanded and Stunky covered the field with black smoke. Steelix's head was still above the smoke, but the steel serpent couldn't see anything going on around it.

Maybe we could use that to our advantage.

"Trevor, they can't see out of the haze. If we can have them attack one another, we may make our own job easier. Provoke the Hitmonlee into attacking Steelix", I said, informing Trevor.

Trevor grinned devilishly at me and replied, "My speciality."

He then turned and called out to his bug type, "Venipede, Hard Roller."

I couldn't tell you if anything actually happened. However, the haze was starting to clear up so we may have been in trouble anyway. If Steelix didn't seem to cringe in pain I would have thought it missed.

"Stunky, use Haze again", I said and another black fog covered the battlefield.

The Steelix's tail was raised up, and then slammed down on the ground. I felt the ground underneath my feet shake. Was that Earthquake? No, the ground was perfectly smooth. Had to be Bulldoze.

Another cringe from Steelix. Hitmonlee must be having some trouble aiming. Not that I'm complaining.

"Venipede, Screech!" Trevor yelled. What was he up to? That wouldn't help us. And that bright white glow would just give him away.

White glow? Screech doesn't do _that_. The only reasonable explanation was Venipede had evolved. In its place was a grayish purple, circular Pokémon. Purple circles marked its body, with a pair of antennas coming out of the front but the big shock to me was that its yellow eyes were now on each side of its body surrounded by a charcoal coloured circle.

"Alright Einstein, what's the plan? Because all that screech did was give me a headache. Besides, whatever that is can't see directly in front of itself." I asked Trevor.

Trevor replied with a cocky, "This."

Continuing on he called to his Pokémon "Propel yourself up with rollout."

The bug type pushed itself up and slammed its spinning body into Hitmonlee, with rebound angling it back into Steelix. It repeated this pattern a couple times until Steelix shot a light green beam of energy out of its mouth, effectively sending it right back into Hitmonlee's outstretched flaming foot.

Guess that left things to me. "Stunky, Night Slash on Steelix." Stunky's paw then glowed purple as it slammed across Steelix's side.

Surprisingly, Steelix fell unconscious, hitting the smoothed ground. Before I could have Stunky turn around and attack Hitmonlee, the long legged fighting type threw a kick that connected with the skunk.

The biggest surprise to me today though came when both Hitmonlee _and_ Stunky were knocked out. While the on-looking crowd stood there shocked, I decided to end this before it got ugly.

"Want to call it a draw?" I asked our opponents.

* * *

><p>"Well that was close," I said as we began walking away, "How in the world do you think that happened?"<p>

"Your Stunky must have the ability Aftermath. It deals damage to the opponent if your Pokémon was knocked out by a physical blow. Shouldn't you find this stuff out for yourself?" Carly told me in response.

"Don't listen to her. Why sift through piles of useless information? Use Search engines for important and fun stuff. Like I know this one site you can see these girls-" Trevor began to ramble before I interjected.

"Trevor, your browser history is disturbing. Besides, wouldn't finding out what Venipede evolves into be counted as important?"

He looked at me funny for a second and then responded with "Good point."

As Trevor began fiddling with his Pokedex, I realized something. "We still have no idea where the gym is."

"Oh we'll find it," Carly said brushing me off.

With neither of my traveling companions interested in talking, we walked in silence down the street. As we passed a guy handing out flyers, I took one to be polite. Talk about serendipity

"I know where the gym is, guys!" I told them excitedly.

* * *

><p>And that's all we would have needed the flyer for, if Trevor hadn't read it. Mention the word party and he's there. Of course, Carly wanted in on it, too, and they had to drag me along.<p>

Naturally, we couldn't look like trainers who had just walked in off of the street. Quite frankly, if I had to go I would look the part. A fresh pair of jeans, black undershirt and a red and black plaid shirt over top of that and I'd be good. How did people roll up the sleeves on those things anyway?

One look at Carly, however, and I was not for it at all. Just because there weren't any parents did not mean she could dress like that. Her skirt needed another inch of material for sure, and its fluorescent pink colour only added to the attention it would draw. At least her black top didn't sink very low.

Trevor on the other hand, dressed like he was some sort of rich pretty boy, right down to the ascot and aviator shades. The only other time I'd seen purple skinny jeans was on TV. I didn't even know he had a blazer or a white shirt.

"So, what's this place called?" I asked, resigned to my fate.

"What the gym? At night the place is the Zangoose Room. It's an under twenty-one club, so relax," Trevor replied, unconcerned about how I felt.

"Relax! The drinking age in Quebec is eighteen! How can I relax?" I began to rant, "And sunglasses? At night?"

"Markus, I don't recall you being my mother," Trevor said, ending the discussion.

* * *

><p>The inside of the club blew me away. Everything about it was very streamlined and high tech, like it was out of some sort of sci-fi movie. Techno music blared with a thumping bass. Strobe lights added occasional bursts of light to the frenzy on the dance floor.<p>

I'm going to be honest with you. I hate places like this. The music in the background is always either techno or synthesized, auto-tuned crud. Drinks are outrageously overpriced, everyone just wants to hook up, and quite frankly, could people settle for losing eighty-five percent of their mind?

Naturally, with views like that I was one guy standing awkwardly in the corner. I probably would have stayed that way, if I hadn't picked out a familiar face around the bar.

"Nicole wasn't it? I haven't seen you in a while. You're looking great this evening." I said, causing her to whirl around in shock, spilling her drink. I have to stop having that effect on people.

Of course, I hadn't been lying about her looks. Those jeans looked pretty nice on her, and the shirt she was wearing was a nice shade of blue I couldn't come up with the exact name of.

"I'm sorry, I don't know your name," Nicole replied so quietly I could barely hear. Yeah, that was a tiny little detail I forgot about.

"Markus. So what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" I asked. Oh my Arceus! Did I have to use such a cheesy line?

"Just getting in some time for myself," She replied. Phew! I was worried she'd pick up on that.

"So that means Chuck's not here? Anyways what's the deal with you traveling with him?" I asked by the look on her face I'd reached a touchy subject.

As she got up and began to leave she turned to me and responded, "It's complicated."

One of the automated bartenders slid over to me. I was about to order when I saw a message on the touch screen.

"Dude I feel for you. There are plenty more fish in the sea. Don't get hung up on her." I read aloud.

Wait did that thing think we were a couple?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"God, what did I do last night, and please tell me if it included a female who." Trevor said, rubbing his temples.

"I'm afraid not. I had to drag you back to the room. And what was that weird smell, anyway? I don't think anyone would want to make cologne or perfume like that. In fact, I barely saw you. Trevor, were you doing drugs?" I asked, honestly concerned.

"No way man, I'm not that stupid. Who was that brunette who walked out on you? Couldn't you have sent her my way? Or was she lesbo?" Trevor asked.

"Trevor, are you only interested in getting laid? And I'm not sure. Sexuality didn't come up. Remember Nicole from the triple battle a few days ago? That was her," I replied.

"That was her? I would_ not_ have guessed that. Her ass was hotter than a Fire type's." Trevor told me.

"Disturbing train of thought. Maybe you could change out of what you wore last night. Carly just texted me now that she's already at the gym. We need to get going."

* * *

><p>"What took you so long? We're all registered and because of some quirk in the software we're all registered for the same time slot." Carly said, clearly irritated.<p>

I didn't even bother using words to respond. All I did was jerk my thumb towards Trevor who was dragging his feet behind me. I knew he hadn't been doing drugs, but I wouldn't rule out him having someone older slip him alcohol.

"Well, who will go first? I do not have all, what is the word again en Anglais. Le mot pour jour?" I heard a male voice coming from behind us ask. He had a Québécois accent, and I had a feeling about who he was.

"The word is day." I replied, turning to look at him. The man was in his early twenties, with close cropped hair that was more yellowy of a blonde than mine. His jacket was made of old brown leather and had a lightning bolt on the back of it in a bright yellow.

"Merci. I do not have all day. Qui veut être premièrement?" He responded. Carly and Trevor both gave him confused looks, like they didn't know what he was saying. Would not be surprised if that was the case.

"Seriously guys? Do you not know what he was saying? He just wants to know who wants to go first." I said, slightly embarrassed about my friend and younger sister's reaction.

"I'll go. I did get here first after all." Carly said.

"Challenger. My name is Jacques. I am Leader of Gym. You beat me, you get badge. Boys will rest here until I call," Jacques said.

As Carly and Jacques went into the arena, Trevor and I were sitting on a bench waiting for our turn. Well, I sat. Trevor was in a combination of leaning and lying down. I could only hope the faint moaning was coming from him and not the receptionist.

"Trevor, what were you drinking last night?" I asked, concerned for his wellbeing.

After another fit of moaning, Trevor replied "Just some Diet Coke and a few mo-something's."

"Mojitos?" I queried, starting to panic.

"Yeah, that's it." Trevor replied once again.

"And where did you get the Diet Coke from?" I continued to probe.

"This one nice older guy kept paying for everything. Markus, why such a big deal?" Trevor responded.

Before I could answer, one of Jacques' assistants came over to me. "You're next. Carly's battle is underway. It's okay to watch the rest of it."

Hold on, why was the assistant's English better than Jacques? Weird. Wait, I'm next? I've got more important things to focus on right now.

* * *

><p>It was remarkable how much a place can change in a short period of time, as the main area of the club from last night was the battlefield. The bar was now bleachers with yellow boards and strobe lights had been swapped out for an official looking scoreboard with Jacques and Carly's pictures on it. Instead of goals, the Pokémon they used were displayed with a generic picture of their species. However, the first Pokémon Jacques used had been blacked out so I had no indication of what it had been.<p>

Carly however would be in serious trouble, as the battles were three on three. That meant she'd have to send out at least one Pokémon weak to Electric type attacks.

Yes, the gym was for Electric types. I'd figured it out last night when I'd been forced to come to the club.

What could have been more of a giveaway?

That, and Carly's Bulbasaur was taking on a Joltik.

"Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder," Carly commanded of her Pokémon. I wasn't surprised by this at all. Bulbasaur looked like it had taken a beating and Carly was the sneaky type.

A seed shot straight up into the air from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, and exploded into dozens of light blue spores. As they began to fall on the electrical mite, its four blue eyes began to close and the tiny yellow furred electric type fell asleep.

"Joltik is unable to battle. Bulbasaur wins." The referee called, also in very good English. What was up with that?

Bulbasaur then comically breathed out and collapsed, obviously very tired.

"Bien fait, Carly. You are very skilled. Perhaps my final Pokémon will be a challenge. Je choisi, Luxio!"

I could not believe the irony here. Jacques was using a Pokémon that was an evolved form of one Carly owned, Shinx. How funny would that be if Carly chose her Shinx next?

Speak of the devil. "Bulbasaur, return. Shinx, I chose you!" Carly called.

Carly's light blue lion cub walked right up to its evolved form with a look of fierce determination in its eyes. It gave me a chance to compare the two, and see how Shinx would change.

The Luxio was slightly taller, with a developing black mane around its head and an additional yellow circle on each of its front legs.

"Luxio, Quick Attack," Jacques said. Luxio began zooming forward slamming into the tinier Pokémon before Shinx could react.

"Shinx!" came the Flash Pokémon's pained call. Losing against an evolved form was always psychologically damaging on a Pokémon, and if I knew that, so did Carly.

Naturally, my younger sister was not going to let that happen. "Shinx, Bite." Carly stated calmly. Shinx then ran up to Luxio and clamped its tiny fangs on Luxio's legs, causing the elder member of the evolutionary line to cringe.

"Luxio, knock it off with Night Slash!" Jacques yelled, clearly worried about the outcome. A shadowy purple glow surrounded the paw Shinx was clamped onto, and Shinx was launched off.

"Shinx, Quick Attack!" Carly called and Shinx began running across the field at breakneck speed. Upon impact, Luxio started rolling backwards kicking up dust. How was this even possible?

Luxio began to stand up shakily, like it was on its last legs- no pun intended. It took wobbly steps forward to Shinx, determined to finish the fight.

"Luxio, utilise Crocs Feu!" Jacques roared, not willing to give up either. What was that in English again? If feu was fire, then what was crocs?

My question answered itself when Luxio's mouth turned into a roaring inferno and it ran forward with a murderous glare. Carly didn't even have time to react, yet Shinx sidestepped the Luxio and bit down on its tail, yanking Luxio back.

"Shinx, Spark!" came Carly's command, smirking at what just happened. Shinx charged itself with electrical energy and pounced on Luxio, releasing a surge of electrical energy and taking out the larger Pokémon.

"Felicitations, Carly," Jacques said, recalling his Pokémon, "I proudly give you the Tonnerre badge."

Well, if that was any indication of how Jacques fought, I was in for a battle of wills.

**Cut and Print! That's a wrap folks! Sorry to any non francophones, but hey, it's Quebec. I thought it would be characteristic of them to have a French Canadian leader, what with the political battles for French rights through Canadian history.**

**And, since yesterday was my birthday, feel free to drop a review or a post on the story's discussion forum with what you think of the story so far. Well wishes are welcome as well!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter**** 12**

"Markus, est-ce que vous êtes prêts à commencer?" Jacques asked me once Carly had been ushered into a separate room.

"Am I ready to start? Bring it," I replied. I wasn't worried about the end result of the battle at all.

Besides, even though Carly had to fight for her badge, her team had been way worse off for the gym compared to mine, and she won with two Pokémon. Meanwhile, one of mine was resistant to Electric type moves and another was completely immune.

Once I made my way over to the challenger's box, Jacques nodded and the referee began to explain the rules.

"This will be a three on three battle between Jacques Cartier, leader of the Montreal Gym, and the challenger Markus Puttnam. Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. Begin!"

"Turtwig, you're up!" I called as Jacques flicked his wrist, launching a Pokémon of his own. I didn't know what to make of it. Its yellow oval like body had black stripes on its sides, with a black lightning bolt on the front. The ears though stood straight up and resembled a plug, like you would see on any household electrical appliance.

"Commence quand vous êtes prêt," Jacques said, waiting for me to kick off our battle. Did he actually hold me in high respect? Or was that something he simply used with challengers?

Pronouns aside, I had first attack. "Turtwig, Razor Leaf. Keep that thing from getting close." Turtwig began shooting leaves, but the opposing Pokémon merely waved around a flaming hand, burning the majority of the leaves to crisps before they hit.

Okay, new tactic. "Turtwig, Curse," I told my Pokémon. The turtle then began to glow red, but nothing else happened. Well, nothing visible at least. Turtwig's physical power and defence had been increased to rival a lazy Torterra's.

"Elekid, Fire Punch," Jacques called out. Elekid's fist began blazing and the electric type charged forward on its stubby legs, taking the bait.

"Turtwig, Tackle into Razor Leaf!" Borrowing an old tactic, Turtwig rammed its head into the lightning bolt mark on Elekid's chest, and then fired a burst of razor sharp leaves. Elekid was sent flying from the force.

"Elekid, Météores!" Jacques yelled, slipping into French once again. Golden stars made of energy began shooting out from between the plugs on Elekid, homing in on Turtwig. Despite my Pokemon taking the initiative to sluggishly dodge, the stars just changed direction.

"Twig," Turtwig stated in a usual flat voice, wincing from pain. Elekid was starting to try my nerves.

"Turtwig, Absorb!" I said, as the familiar green energy snaked from Elekid into Turtwig. Elekid began to charge electrical at the same time, static erratically manifesting on its body.

"Turtwig, use Razor Leaf once again," I ordered, as a blast of electrical energy arced into the leaves' path. A large explosion sent smoke through the air, blinding both myself and Jacques.

When the attack induced smokescreen cleared, both Pokemon involved were still standing, but wavering. Elekid face planted from exhaustion first, closely followed by Turtwig.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Challenger and Leader, chose your next Pokémon!"The referee announced, and I recalled Turtwig, swapping its Pokeball for Electrike's.

"Electrike, I choose you!" I shouted, secretly confident in the fact my Pokémon would absorb any and all electric attacks.

If anyone who knows Pokémon didn't recognize the next electric type Jacques chose, they deserved to be slapped. The red spots on its cheeks and lightning bolt shaped tail were everywhere in advertising campaigns. Pikachus were my personal pet peeve. And he had the gall to use one!

"Electrike, use Quick Attack," I told light green canine who immediate;y took off in a blur. Pikachu produced its own burst of speed however and darted to the side. Both electric types continued this pattern to the point where the battle descended into a game of cat and mouse.

"Pikachu, Slam!" Jacques shouted. Pikachu then performed a one hundred and eighty degree turn, its tail striking across Electrike's muzzle.

"Electrike, retaliate with Signal Beam!" I screamed, starting to panic. The psychedelic beam shot from an orb that had appeared in front of Electrike's nose and made contact with Pikachu's side.

"Boule Élek!" Jacques commanded- did he have to keep using all of this French? It was kind of annoying. A golden orb of electricity began charging at the end of Pikachu's tail, with lighter yellow wisps coursing through the orb's centre. Clearly an electric type attack.

I waited for the attack to connect, Electrike picking up on the silence's meaning and standing still. Jacques was about to receive a nasty surprise.

Pikachu pushed back from the ball of electricity and Electrike's tail went shooting straight up into the air. Realization of what was happening made Jacques' face contort into a look of utter horror.

"Use Signal Beam once again Electrike!" I yelled, as Electrike repeated its last attack with much more devastating results. Pikachu skidded back, its ears dragging along the ground. Pikachu did not get back up.

"Rotom, go!" Jacques exclaimed, tossing the Pokeball straight up into the air. I honestly had no idea what to make of it. Its pointed orange head was surrounded by a cyan glow, with tiny little lightning bolts coming out the bottom. Both its eyes and lightning bolts glowing the same shade as what surrounded its body.

I pulled out my pokedex, hoping to get some information on my opponent.

"_Rotom. Electric and Ghost type." _My pokedex said.

"That's it? Aren't you supposed to give me some information?" I asked it.

"_It's registered to another trainer. What more do you need to know? Besides, that stupid flavour text is painful to sit through,"_ It replied. Valid point.

"Alright, Electrike use Spark!" I ordered. Electrike ran forward, but was blown back in a gust of purple energy.

"Again!" Jacques called out. Another breeze and Electrike was sent into the stands and was unconscious on impact. Not exactly the most favourable of outcomes, but I still had another Pokemon.

"Challenger, please choose your last Pokémon!" The referee prompted. It wasn't a hard choice for me to make, but I'd never fought a ghost type before. Quite frankly, Ghost and Dragon were two types I had hoped I wouldn't see until the Pokémon league. Dragons because of power, Ghosts because I couldn't get comfortable around them.

"Stunky, I choose you!" I called, simply throwing the Pokeball. I was _never_ going to be so melodramatic with simply sending out a Pokémon.

"Rotom! Shockwave!" Jacques commanded, and blue electricity arced out of Rotom, aimed for threw up a haze and dodged of her own accord. However, Rotom repeated the attack which connected, despite Rotom being deep inside the smokescreen. Definitely not good.

"Stunky! Run up to it and use Night Slash!" I panicked. If it could keep hitting Stunky no matter how well she dodged, I was screwed over. Stunky ran up, tail bobbing up and down, a dark purple aura surrounding her front paws. Stunky connected, and Rotom was thrown off balance.

"Rotom, Ominous Wind," Jacques stated with a smirk on his face. Was he even allowed to use this attack? The purple wind however, didn't throw Stunky around like a rag doll at all, though it cleared up the smoke.

The arena started to smell different. Not good different though, like as if someone sprayed the place with a failed air freshener, kind of like when I caught Stunky. Was she as nervous as I was?

Pull yourself together man! I have to win this!

"Stunky, Night Slash once again!" I ordered. Stunky leaped at Rotom, attack connecting once again. I could win this!

As Stunky flew past Rotom, her tail began to glow white and was slammed into Rotom as a sort of parting gift. As soon as Stunky landed however an electric shock coursed through her body.

"Stunky, one final Night Slash!" I shouted, ready to end the battle. Stunky complied, and as Rotom went zooming towards the ground I could only hope it worked.

The lightning bolts underneath Rotom had fizzled out and its eyes were now swirls. Victory!

* * *

><p>"Oh. It's you. How did your battle go?" Carly deadpanned inside the room we had been ushered into. I had received my badge, which looked like a black thundercloud with a golden lightning bolt coming out of it.<p>

"It went fine. Thank you for asking. I saw the end of yours. You did well", I replied, slightly miffed she was so unenthusiastic about seeing me. "So, what now? Trevor could be a while."

"Great. I love waiting." Carly replied sarcastically.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys! How did you do?" Trevor asked as he walked into the room roughly forty-five minutes later.<p>

"We both won. What took you so long?" I replied, "Come to think of it, why didn't you come in after I beat his first Pokémon?"

Trevor shrugged and said "I fell asleep. It took a while for me to wake up. And I kind of threw up in the arena" Did he honestly think he could shrug it all off?

Glaring at him, I asked, "Did you know it only takes four muscles to reach out and slap someone, Trevor?"

With a questioning look on his face, Trevor answered me, "No I didn't Markus- Ow! What the hell was that for?", as I interrupted him with a clean hit across his face.

"We're leaving for Fredericton, New Brunswick. It's the next gym city. Hopefully you learned you learned your lesson and won't go to such extremes." I told both of them, and then began making my way out the door.

**Alright readers! Again more French, but I'm going to explain the most confusing term yet right now- ****Vous ****is French for they, but also means you to a person deserving respect, like a teacher or The Queen of England.**

**You see the review button below? Or the forum link on my profile? Let me know on either of those who your favourite character is. Personally, I find it's a tie between Markus and his Pokedex. They both have some pretty frank views on the world.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Markus, I'm tired!" Trevor whined, head drooping. We had only left Montreal a few minutes ago. The fact that I'd only just remembered there was a time change probably hadn't helped.

Meh. Honest mistake.

"So how long is this going to take?" Carly asked me, ignoring my best friend.

"Around four or five days, depending on how well our legs hold up. If we had a car, we'd get there in less than twelve hours though."

"Are you kidding me?" Trevor and Carly asked simultaneously.

"It's not my fault none of us have flying Pokémon that can actually carry people. Now, pedal and like it!" I responded. These two were extremely trying on one's patience.

"I'll pedal, but I won't like it," Trevor replied.

"Alright that's it! We're taking a break! Everyone pull over now!" I yelled, turning off of the road. Granted, I was probably more forceful than I needed to be.

Once the three of us had put away our bikes for a rest, I took out my Town Map. It was an important device for any trainer, as it automatically adjusted its display based on where you were using a GPS. It also let you know about trainer related events and let you view possible routes to your destination.

"You're kidding me!" I exclaimed, "We can take a ferry part of the way. It'll cut down our travel time by about a day!"

Trevor and Carly snapped to attention at this development. "All we have to do is keep going to Quebec City, and take a ferry up the St. Lawrence from there. It'll be another day or so before we get there, but we'll be in Fredericton much faster," I continued on.

"Alright, but how are we going to pass the time until then?" Carly asked.

"I'm not playing would you rather," Trevor firmly stated. I can't exactly blame him for that though. That game got old_ fast_.

* * *

><p>So, after another generic day in the life of a Pokémon trainer and some sightseeing in Quebec City, we boarded the last ferry of the day.<p>

"It's a good thing the Pokemon League runs this thing," I said to no one in particular, "Otherwise we'd only get to go part of the way, and then camp. At least this thing has cabins onboard."

Naturally this meant trainer related facilities galore. On the top deck there were several fields other trainers were having battles on. Inside was a gathering hall with a trade machine and live news feeds. Topping the whole thing off, the ship had Wi-Fi.

I was inside the gathering hall and a nearby conversation was getting pretty heated.

"I'm telling you, the league's going to get cancelled. Too many threats from Pokémon rights activists. It'll be worse than the G20 in Toronto!" One guy heatedly exclaimed. His arms were bare, and the tats on them were freaking me out. The fluorescent green Mohawk he had wasn't helping either.

A young looking girl glared back at him and shot back her response "They never cancel it! Leagues are always run! You're just in it for the money. Besides, I'm a way more experienced trainer than you are."

"Pesky little girl. Go pick on someone your own size, and take your puny little Pokémon too." He replied.

Judging from the look on her face, he said something he shouldn't have. "I'm not a little girl! I'm seventeen! I have BOOBS!" She yelled, beginning to rip off her shirt. A much taller guy had a look of visible panic on his face, throwing his jacket to cover her up and dragging her away.

Trevor dashed into the room shortly after, a frenzied smile on her face. "Markus! I heard a girl started stripping! Where is she?"

"Oh, that. It was only her top. She was really short and proving she wasn't a little kid." I replied.

"You mean the one being dragged away as I came here, about this high," Trevor said, gesturing to just under his nose and continuing "With quite the mouth on her, said her name was Mai?"

"That's the one. Didn't catch her name though."

"What's there to see? The whole thing was exaggerated," Trevor said.

"Where were you anyway? I haven't seen you at all," I asked.

"Over by the trade machine. They've got some really rare stuff over there. We're talking things you have to travel across the planet for!" Trevor exclaimed. If he was telling the truth, I could pick up something incredible.

Except, of course for the fact a trade meant exactly that, and tempting as it was, I couldn't give anyone up. Even Taillow was worth something to me.

"This one is pure proof." Trevor said, brandishing a Pokeball, no doubt a brand new Pokémon inside.

"Come on outside, let me show you." Trevor said, gesturing towards the hallway.

How big could it be that we had to step outside into pouring rain?

* * *

><p>"Makuhita!" the pudgy yellow fighting type exclaimed. Its arms were raised up above its head and its tiny little fists were a dark blue, but its most defining feature was probably the twisted knot on top of its head.<p>

"It's only a couple feet tall Trevor. Why did we have to step outside again?" I asked, more than a little confused.

"You're kidding me! The guy said I'd get a Hariyama. I thought trading away Raticate was him ripping himself off!" Trevor called out, face palming immediately after. The guy hadn't lied per say to him, but I doubt Trevor knew that.

"So, can I have it then?" I replied.

"I guess. I'm not going to use it." Trevor answered. Score! New Pokémon!

I held out my hand, noticing a change in the amount of rain coming down. It must have started to clear up while we were talking. I called Mudkip out for a little exercise, and after a little prodding Trevor followed suit letting out his-

"Charmeleon? When did that happen?" I said, being a little surprised at this new development.

"Um, it happened yesterday shortly after lunch. You were trying to get Carly to help clean up- never going to happen by the way- and I just finished a battle and Charmander evolved at the end of it."

"And you didn't tell me because?" I prompted.

"I was going to, but then you'd make me clean," Trevor replied, "Well and, when I did try you were moving us along."

Well, this was awkward. Time for me to make a quick exit.

"Well, I'm going back to my room. It's starting to get late," I said, pointing to the setting sun. I then walked away in a fashion that could have looked more natural.

Trevor's starter evolving before mine? Never would have believed that before today.

**Okay, Mai actually belongs to the amazingly fantastic Oceanspiral, and is a main character in her story Opposites Attract. Check her out or.**

**Secondly, I've dropped refrences to several things in the story nobody has picked up on. Anyone who can go back and pick at least one out gets mad virtual props. I've refrenced PokemonX, Big Bang Theory, The Coma theory about the anime and an episode of the anime. Name the specific instance of these refrences in a review or on the story's discussion forum. Link for that is on my profile.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Believe it or not, only one province in Canada is officially bilingual. And it's not Quebec, which is quite the surprise for some people. And that province is New Brunswick," I said as we walked through the streets.

I then continued my train of thought. "Quebec is actually officially unilingual. The one language being French." Carly and Trevor were behind me as I was saying all of this, so I couldn't see their faces. When I looked back at them, both of their faces were plastered with listless expressions

"Quelle surprise," Carly replied sarcastically. I couldn't understand why they were so disinterested. After all, this was the sort of thing trainers were supposed to pick up on their journeys.

"Alright, what do you have that's more interesting?" I asked.

"What's with that crowd over there?" Trevor asked, pointing to a nearby park. A large group of people were marching around waving picket signs as a podium was being set up. When we ran over to get a better look, what the signs said shocked me.

Each and every sign was an anti-league statement. Some were extremely simple, like "Ban the League". Others probed deeper with statements such as "What are they not showing us?" A few just had vulgar statements.

A man stepped onto the makeshift podium, and the protesters whooped and cheered. I guess he was their leader, but he looked out of place in his three piece suit. With a wave of his hand, they went silent.

He cleared his throat, running his hand along a greying beard and began to speak. "Greetings to all. My name is Charles Worthington. I represent the Anti-Pokémon League Association. I'm here to speak of the injustice of an injustice that is as widely accepted as governments the world over." He then paused for some unnecessary dramatic effect.

"Statistics show thousands of young adults and children leave home every year, for a title that rarely changes hands: League Champion. They abandon schoolwork, household obligations, and their families for eight pieces of metal. Few reach that point with hundreds of missing persons annually, a dropping literacy rate and a decreasing amount of people qualified to work in the real world," Charles continued.

Okay, I don't like where this is going.

"And do they want to do this to become closer with their Pokémon they have captured? No, they want fame, power and glory. In fact the term captured itself suggests enslaving them and forcing them to do our bidding. Is this what you want? For us to descend into barbarianism?" He began shouting and egging the crowd on.

"Infidel. Do you not see the benefits of Pokémon leagues? How they help pay our taxes and give young people lessons and knowledge a classroom can't? Or can you comprehend how many people are able to succeed at Pokémon related careers from their journeys?" A young man said evenly. He couldn't have been older than eighteen or nineteen, and his pale skin and dark hair made me think he was a vampire.

Okay, the cape he wore helped with that image.

"Bah, my message is wasted on the prejudiced." Charles scoffed, as he stepped down and was escorted to a fancy looking car.

"He backed down fast," I thought out loud.

"Indeed. My name is Kristoff Dellanotte. I am the Gym Leader of this town. Jane praised the battling skills of all three of you. Jacques said the same of Markus and Carly." Kristoff said.

"Does that mean Jacques thinks I stink?" Trevor said defensively.

"It might have had something to do with the vomit," Kristoff replied with a smirk. "But please, come by my gym tonight. I'll be waiting. You'll know it when you see it." Kristoff then turned and walked away.

"Carly, Trevor, I need to place a video call."

* * *

><p>"Hello Professor Pine. How are you?" I asked.<p>

I was greeted by a scowl. "I'm fine, just updating my online dating profile. Can you believe I haven't even kissed a girl in a year? But you obviously don't want to hear about me. Would you like to make a deposit or a withdrawal?"

"A withdrawal. My Kricketune please." I replied.

The professor's face visibly drooped. "You sure you don't want your Taillow?" he proposed dejectedly.

"I'm sure. Maybe next time," I answered. I was somewhat confused about this, but decided to let it slide.

"Alright. Your Kricketune's Pokeball should be there right now Markus. Good luck." Professor Pine said signing off.

Wait, had that been a goalie mask on his desk? What would he need that for? He sits in a lab and writes papers all day. And plays online games, now that I think about it.

* * *

><p>"Alright, now where is the darn gym? He said to come at night. It's night." I griped as the three of us walked down the street.<p>

"Markus?" Trevor tried to interrupt, but I was mid-rant at this point.

"Honestly, we'll know it when we see it? What could be vaguer?Couldn't he have pointed us in the general direction? It would have been more helpful."

"Markus!" Carly screamed at me, getting my attention.

"What is it, Carly?" I asked, slightly irritated from the interruption

"We've found the gym." She stated.

"Where is it- Oh. That's probably it. Sorry about that," I replied, Carly twisting my head to see.

I wish I'd noticed it earlier. Would've been less embarrassing if I did. I mean, in a downtown area of the city, a building styled like a medieval castle tends to stand out. Gargoyles styled like vicious Pokémon, towers around the size of the smaller buildings and walls that were made of stone all made it look amazingly authentic.

A portcullis was raised up and I apprehensively began to walk inside. Carly and Trevor trailed behind me, much more confident expressions on their faces than mine.

* * *

><p>Instead of being forced to wait in a lobby, we'd been deposited in a large open air courtyard. What few lights there were barely improved the visibility. I was thankful for the lack of clouds.<p>

"Hello there challengers. Are you willing to attempt to defeat me for the Eclipse Badge, or shall you cower in the shadows?" Kristoff called from the other side. A fog surrounded the ground where he stood, making him seem more ominous with the cape draped around his body.

"I'm willing. Bring it on." I said in a show of confidence that surprised even me.

"Very well. Markus Puttnam, I accept. Shall we begin?" Kristoff replied. A referee then stepped out of the shadows and began the standard explanation of the rules.

"This will be a two on two battle between Leader of the Fredricton Gym, Kristoff Dellanote and the challenger, Markus Puttnam. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Begin!"

**Okay, please leave a review if you've been reading this story and haven't reviewed. I can see your hits!**

**And, as I haven't dropped what type Kristoff uses, try and guess it yourselves. Although, only two types would really make sense...**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Sableye! Emerge!" Kristoff ordered. The dark purple Pokémon rose from the ground, with a toothy grin and gleaming cyan gems for eyes. I didn't see him use a Pokeball, so Sableye must have been inside a shadow this whole time.

I nervously grabbed at my own Pokeballs, unable to get a solid grip on two I'd prepared from my best guess. I finally clasped my hands around one and tossed it out without checking to see which it was.

Kricketune burst right out of the Pokeball and attempted to get into an intimidating pose, forearms brandished. "I wonder if the little guy picked up any new tricks," I thought to myself.

Kricketune then crossed its arms in an "x" fashion as they started to glow light blue. The bug type then lunged forward, uncrossing his arms as he collided with Sableye. X-Scissor, huh? Kricketune must've really gotten stronger to be able to use that attack.

"So it seems you brought an insect. You thought you could best me with that? Bug types are easily squashed." Kristoff taunted. Kricketune could easily defeat that ghost.

Oh Arceus, another ghost so soon? I didn't think they were that common.

"Show him what else you've got Kricketune!" I called out. I wish I'd taken the time to find out what he could use, but I'd been too occupied with finding this damn place to check.

Kricketune engulfed itself in white light and thrust one of its arms at the darkness Pokémon. However, Sableye disappeared only to reappear directly behind my bug type and counterattack with a swing of its claw. I wouldn't have seen the counterattack, save for the faint purple outline matching the colour of Sableye's body.

"Sableye, Dig!" Kristoff ordered. Sableye then began to burrow, moving its claws into a purple blur and descending deeper into the ground.

Now what? Kricketune couldn't hit Sableye when it was above ground. How was I supposed to react to this?

Kricketune's wings then began to glow red and his antennae shot straight up producing red sound waves. As they bounced off of the walls the echo it produced was overwhelming. Kricketune then brought its arms together and focused the entire thing into a solid red beam it angled into the hole.

Sableye burst out of its tunnel, barely standing. Thinking back to an old science class, I remembered sound travels faster through objects than air, so as the castle walls were hit by vibrations, Sableye must've been hit then as well.

Now for the clincher. "Kricketune, Aerial Ace once again! Propelling himself forward, the white streaks surrounded Kricketune once again and Kricketune attempted to strike Sableye. Sableye once again disappeared into the shadows, but Kricketune turned around using its wings, connecting with Sableye as it reappeared behind my own Pokémon once again.

Sableye hit the ground with a thud. I knew it was out before the referee ran out again and declared "Sableye is unable to battle. Kricketune wins!"

Kristoff then recalled Sableye and took out another Pokeball. "Sableye is the weakest of my Pokémon for a trainer of your skill level. Let us see if you can contend with my strongest. Liepard, I summon you!"

Liepard was a feline Pokémon that walked on four legs, with a purple coat of fur. Its underbelly was mustard yellow and both its paws and the triangular patterns on top were the same colour.

"Liepard, your Hidden Power!" Kristoff ordered, and Liepard then began to glow white. Two white rings of orbs then began to spin around the dark type's body and continually sped up, joining in a single beam which hit Kricketune squarely in the chest.

Kricketune flew backwards, propelled by the sheer force of the move and slammed into the wall. Kricketune crumpled in a heap and didn't get back up. I recalled the bug type, a little unnerved about the Liepard's power.

I gripped my next Pokémon, still encased tightly in its ball. Kricketune had only taken a couple hits against Sableye, and one attack from Liepard floored it. This was easily the strongest Pokémon I'd personally faced so far, hands down.

"Makuhita, I choose you!" I shouted, lobbing the Pokeball as far as I could. The pudgy fighting type took a battle stance, clearly determined to win.

"Start with Fake Out!" I called out, and Makuhita jumped forward, clapping his hands together and sending a blast of air at Liepard. The cat-like Pokémon was sent back from shock, performing a back flip in the process.

Liepard leaped right back at Makuhita, swiping its claws and striking with its tail. Every time Makuhita attempted to counter attack, each one of his punches was effortlessly dodged.

"Liepard, Assist!" Kristoff commanded, and Liepard distanced itself from my fighting type. Its mouth opened and a stream of high velocity light blue bubbles shot out.

Wait, bubbles? That attack looked like BubbleBeam, and Assist used moves that other Pokémon on the trainer's person knew. Kristoff must have had some sort of Dark and Water dual type Pokémon on him.

"Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" I barked out. The yellow Pokemon began to strike out relentlessly, connecting with Liepard and refusing to stop. Makuhita started to gain momentum, keeping pace with the much faster dark type's attempts to dodge. Suddenly, Liepard span around and kicked out with its back legs. Makuhita was thrown off balance and landed flat on its back.

"Foul Play. It takes boosts from its opponent and uses them as its own. You really should have expected something like this to happen Markus. Every good trainer has their own tricks," Kristoff lectured. His advantage was making him grow arrogant. I just had to lure him into a false sense of security. The question was, how?

Makuhita's fist then started to glow a light blue. Only one move in the species' arsenal started like that, and it was an attack powerful enough to end this battle in a single solid blow. "Makuhita, back up." I said, confident in my plan. Kristoff just needed to take the bait.

"Night Slash Liepard," Kristoff said with a sinister tone in his voice. I had called it. The temptation to end this battle with a physical attack was too great for him. Liepard ran forward, one of its front paws glowing a dark purple. As the malicious pokemon came within a few steps of Makuhita, my own Pokemon's attack had fully charged.

"Use Focus Punch now!" I shouted, and Makuhita's right hook redirected Liepard mid flight. The Dark type was out cold by the time it hit the ground.

Kristoff muttered something that I couldn't hear. He then walked over to me, and from the shine caused by what little light we had, I knew he had my badge.

"Congratulations Markus. I present you with the Eclipse Badge." He told me, presenting me with the metal object. The badge was almost perfectly circular. It was nearly pure black as well with only an orange gold ring along the edge. One point along this edge was slightly ouslightly larger and brighter, suggesting a light source coming form behind.

Three badges down, five to go.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning and groggily started to get myself ready. Last night I'd seen a pair of spectacular battles with both Carly and Trevor facing off against Kristoff shortly after me. It had gotten so late I had been falling asleep towards the end.<p>

I did however, have some buisness to attend to of my own. A familiar face was on the other end of the video chat more than a litlle disturbed.

"Markus. What can I do for you, and can we make it quick? I'm in a Star Wars marathon with the lab assistants." Professor Pine hurried told me.

"I'm taking back my Taillow, and sending you my Kricketune. And at seven a.m in the morning your time?" I replied, a little confused.

"They take fourteen hours Markus. Of course we'd start early. Let me get your Swe-Taillow's pokeball," The professor explained, correcting himself abruptly mid-sentence. He walked off screen and I heard some muffled cheering.

"Alright. Here you are, have a nice day. Bye!" Pine then closed the chat.

* * *

><p>"Sorry about that guys. I just wanted to bring back-" I began to tell Trevor and Carly before a cry from the Pokemon I just released interrupted me.<p>

"Swellow!"

**Alright, how was that? You guys like it? I think the ending was the best part. I have two things to cover quickly.**

**Firstly, Oceanspiral guessed Kristoff's type with imabeemee and fanficssuck getting honourable mentions for including it in their guesses.**

**Secondly, every gym leader's last name or full name will have a little refrence or joke in it. Everyone got Jane Doe, but nobody got Jacques Cartier. Kristoff's last name has a meaning in another language. Let me know in your review if you got the refrences.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

In theory it seemed much simpler. Let out my team members; let them get to know each other. If it was peaceful enough, I could make a Tims run.

That, of course, was not what happened at all. Stunky took one look at Swellow and panicked, which meant using Haze. And that Arceus forsaken stench. I'm not going to forget that any time soon.

Two Pokémon recalled with four to go.

Once everything cleared up, Electrike had disappeared. Or rather, found some people. And then some more people. And then a few more people. That guy liked to say hi to everything with a pulse. I swear, if training Pokémon didn't work out I could become a runner.

Three Pokémon recalled.

Mudkip and Makuhita followed me around everywhere. Mudkip wouldn't leave my side, sprawling out across my feet a few times to try and keep me from moving. Makuhita, on the other hand, worked as hard as me to catch Electrike, but stopped to acknowledge any praise I gave it with a hug. Plus, bulk and stubby legs does not make for stealthy movement. He didn't seem to care though, ever focused on his task.

The shop owners though were very eager to collect on the damages. Five Pokémon, back inside their Pokeballs.

When I came back to where I began this failed endeavour, Turtwig was still there, standing in the same spot with a matching look on his face.

"Hey there little guy! Want to come over here?" I innocently asked him. Maybe a little shell rub could put us on the right track.

Turtwig took two steps towards me, stood still, and curled up for a nap.

All six Pokémon now recalled, no progress whatsoever.

Life can just suck sometimes, can't it?

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight. You want me to help you bond with your Pokémon?" Carly asked me, a little incredulously.<p>

"Not all of them. Makuhita and Mudkip should be easy enough for me to deal with; Stunky seems to have a phobia of flying types I can figure out myself and Electrike just needs to burn energy," I replied.

"Swellow's a textbook case of trainer hate and mistrust. This category is usually caused by the trainer not capturing it in a way it approves. Plus, conditioning probably has a hate of humans bred into it. That last bit can't be taken care of."

"And Turtwig?" I prompted, wanting to have my question answered completely.

"I'm no grass type specialist. I have no idea," Carly told me.

"So, that's all you know. Well, thanks Carly. I'm better off than I was before."

"What makes you say Stunky is scared of flying types anyway?" Carly asked me.

"Call out your Starly. I can prove it," I responded. I tossed Stunky's Pokeball and released the skunk-like Pokémon, only to find out Starly was now Staravia.

While the flying type had a similar grey, white and black colour scheme to its previous form, it lacked the same level of body fat with a narrower and taller build. Staravia's feathers also came up into a curl at the top of its head.

I would have examined it further if Stunky hadn't panicked and used Haze. No pungent odour this time though. Then again, Swellow had this aura of hate and Noctowl wanted to eat her...

"Have I proved my point?" I stated when the smoke cleared.

* * *

><p>Swellow was confused when I sent it out, with no other Pokémon present. I took this chance to get a good look at her. Blue feathers for the wings with contrasting crimson breast feathers, a pair of long tail feathers and slight plumage going back from its skull.<p>

"Alright, I'm going to cut you a deal. You'll get the battle you want. I win, you're mine. You win, it's your choice." I said.

Swellow was visibly taken aback at this. I had the bird's attention. "So, are you interested?" I asked.

"Swellow!" she proudly cried out. This was going down right here and now.

"Mudkip, you're on! Kick this off with Ice beam!" I shouted as I released the water type. The attack shot out in a blue beam of light, but Swellow effortlessly dodged. She flew towards Mudkip, performed a mid-air back flip, and slammed her beak into Mudkip. There a red flash like I recalled Swellow and the flying type just disappeared. In her place was Stunky.

What in the world happened?

* * *

><p>"Hey Trevor, I have to ask you something. Where do you go off to when we choose to stay in a city? I haven't seen you all day."<p>

"I train, catch Pokémon, pick up chicks and talk to girls," He replied in our room at the Pokemon Centre.

"How are you so successful? Back home you would've had to hand out _pardons_ in a _Women's Prison!"_ I exclaimed in disbelief.

I stopped for a second. "Hang on, catch Pokémon?"

"Charmeleon's a better wingman than you ever were. It's like having a Pokémon version of me!" Trevor answered, unfazed by my response. "And yeah, I caught myself a Machop this afternoon."

Wow, why am I never around when someone I know catches a Pokémon? It's embarrassing, and I know my odds. I need to keep track of their teams because they'll be part of my competition.

"You know, the weirdest thing just occurred to me. Do you have any plans for the future if being a trainer doesn't work out?" I asked.

Trevor then gave me a look that screamed 'Are you serious'. "Markus, why wouldn't it work out?"

"Well, the odds are against us. We'll probably compete in a league or two and end up homeless without a plan. We'd have to pawn off our Pokémon to survive. I'm not sure I could do that" I said, lying down on my bed.

"I can't go back Markus. This is it for me. Unless I end up in a competitive battling circuit, I'm done for. You were always the smart one," Trevor solemnly told me.

"That bad, huh? I honestly need to thank you. Your panic is the whole reason I'm not sitting around planning this journey from start to finish," I joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Do you think we'll run into anyone from back home Markus? I'd like to see the ladies look at us now." Trevor wondered out loud, returning to his regular self.

"I honestly doubt it. They're all talk and no action. We had the balls to go out and do this. But a couple girls seeing how good we are? Would not mind that at all."

* * *

><p>"We ready to go guys?" I asked, ready to leave for the next Gym City. As Trevor and Carly and Trevor nodded their affirmatives, I called out Electrike.<p>

"I'm going to be exercising this guy to bring down his energy level. We're going to have to walk, of course for the next little while, but Halifax is only a couple days away. Are you okay with that?"

"This cutie here? He can walk with us all he wants, can't you boy?" Carly said, cooing and rubbing down the green electric type, who was enjoying all of the attention. However, the static in his fur gave Carly quite the shock, causing her to stop.

"I'll take that as a yes," I said, laughing at this turn of events.

**So sorry about the wait! School is, well school. I'll try to give you guys two updates a month minimum though, okay?**

**And, question of the chapter: What type do you think Halifax will be, and will the leader be a guy or a girl?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Carly, Trevor and I had just reached Halifax. As well as being Nova Scotia's capital and one of the newest Gym Cities, it was the one place in Canada where you can catch Yamask.

Of course, who wants to own a dead guy? It's just creepy.

Said argument however was only successful in dissuading Carly. Trevor had a case of 'I want it' fever at this information.

I mean, do you think we'd willingly run over to Halifax Harbour, a working port, for our own amusement?

"Trevor! Slow down!" I panted out as I stopped to catch my breath. "Yamask are not that good of a Pokémon! They have a move pool worth Miltank dung!"

"I want it!" Trevor screamed back, still running. How did he move so fast on those tiny legs of his?

New plan. "Electrike, go chase Trevor!" I ordered. Electrike became a blur ahead of me, and I thought that Trevor was as good as stopped, before the electric type got sidetracked and made a near ninety degree turn to the right.

"Get off of me you mangy mutt! Your brand of street filth shouldn't even be walking the same ground as me!" An irate teenager shouted in some sort of posh accent.

"I'm sorry about my Electrike-" I began to apologize before I was interrupted.

"Oh. It's you. I should have expected someone such as you to own this flea-bitten stray."

"Nice to see you again too Chuck," I replied with faked enthusiasm. On the bright side, if he was here, chances are Nicole was nearby.

"Marco, was it? You must hold some sort of higher standard when it comes to possessing the beasts. Such common varieties will earn you no respect. And Nicole isn't here. Ever since she saw you three, that pesky girl has disappeared at any and all opportunities."

"My brother's name is Markus. And you should be going. Asshole," Carly said, walking up towards Chuck in an attempt to intimidate him. Given that Chuck was a couple inches taller than me, the size difference was very apparent.

"Ah yes, hiding behind your little sister. Cute. Golurk, come out. Fly me to the airport." Chuck called out a massive light blue robot like Pokémon, with yellow patterns on its body, a disproportionately tiny head, and this weird strap across its boxy chest.

The Golurk's arms and legs then retracted, allowing Chuck to climb on. With a jet of flame coming out of its body, Golurk rose into the air.

"Well, he took off quickly," Trevor stated as he rejoined us.

"Yes, but we have something more important to do. We need to find Nicole and let her know her traveling partner ditched her." Trevor began to protest, but I shut him up with a simple "It's the right thing to do."

"In a city of three hundred thousand people, where do you think we'll find her?" Carly asked. I hated when someone had to be the voice of reason.

"The gym, Pokémon centres, other places trainers congregate, Halifax can't be that big of a city," I answered. "Besides, I don't think she's really dressed to travel on foot."

Carly was satisfied by this explanation, but Trevor not so much. "Man, no girl is worth this much effort. We came to Halifax for one thing- a Gym badge. Let's stick to that, okay?"

* * *

><p>"An entire city. On foot. If she's not here, I will kill somebody," Trevor grumbled as we came to the last place in the city we hadn't checked.<p>

The building was at the end of a long dirt path, with an intricately styled iron gate directly in front of us. As we came closer to the building, it seemed dark, gloomy and run down. In architectural style, it seemed very Victorian.

"You'd think they'd be able to hire a better handyman," I muttered to myself, seeing the hedges were overgrown and what looked like dead roses in the flowerbeds.

"Check out this knocker. It doesn't seem to fit with the stereotype of creepy haunted house," Carly called grabbing my attention.

Sure enough, the knocker looked like a wrought iron Pokeball. Weird.

"Maybe somebody's home?" I asked before knocking. The door creaked open, and seeing no response, I stepped in.

* * *

><p>"Are they trying to go off the grid or something? They need solar panels for electricity, to power some lights. Not these weird candles!" I exclaimed, frustrated. Ever found something in the dark with your shin? Guess what I just did. For the fourth time.<p>

The candles gave off virtually no light, and instead of the little light being a yellow glow, had a purple flame.

Wait a second- Did one of those candles just wink at me? I'm seriously freaked out right now.

"Boo!" Carly said from behind me, causing me to jump. Instinctively, I reached for Mudkip's Pokeball.

"Not funny Carly," I fumed as she laughed.

"Guys, check this out!" Trevor called from further up the hallway at another open doorway. After apprehensively following him through, I was shocked to see there was a battlefield in the next room, currently in use.

A Haunter floated in the air, tongue dangling out, as a Kangaskhan took a swing, only for the ghost type to disappear. The motherly Pokémon was clearly frustrated. Then again, the way the Haunter kept disappearing and reappearing, I would be stressed too.

"Haunter, use Sludge Bomb," a female stated. The gas Pokémon gleefully complied, holding up its floating hands which launched globs of sludge at the normal type.

"Kangaskhan, counter with Comet Punch!" the second trainer ordered. Kangashkan's curled fists were swung faster and faster, repelling the sludge and connecting with Haunter.

Hang on, I know that voice. "Nicole?" I said out loud, shocked at seeing her here. This was not the same Nicole I knew from the rotation battle or the Zangoose room. That Nicole was quiet and shy, not this passionate about battles.

I accidentally caught her attention, distracting Kangaskhan as well. Just as Haunter appeared to go for one final attack from behind however, Kangaskhan raised its fist, smacking Haunter in the face. Haunter then hit the ground unconscious.

"Haunter is unable to battle. Nicole wins!" the referee shouted in a booming voice.

"Congratulations Nicole. I present to you the Echo Badge. It's been a long time since anyone beat me with a Normal type," The woman told Nicole, handing out the small piece of metal.

The woman seemed nice, sort of like a grandmother. A purple shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, and her gray hair was tied up in a bun.

"Thank you Theodora," Nicole told her. The two looked to see us, a look of recognition spreading across Nicole's face.

"Markus? Trevor? What are you doing here?"

* * *

><p>"So, Charles ditched me? I'm actually not that surprised," Nicole admitted, frowning afterwards.<p>

"Do you have anyone else nearby we could talk to? You know, cousins, pen pals, random people you met over the internet you could travel with?" I asked. Carly and Trevor were inside about to battle Theodora. I chose to sit this gym out, partly because I wanted to talk with Nicole, partly because of the type.

_"Ghost type? The Leader uses Ghost types?" I nervously asked, gulping after my question._

Just the flashback was giving me shivers.

Nicole however interrupted my train of thought with a response. "Nobody. I lived kind of a sheltered life before this, and neither my mom nor my dad has any siblings."

"Hey there you two!" Trevor called out, startling both of us.

Well, I was definitely not counting on this.

"This means I have four badges, and you have what, three?" Trevor gloated, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Shut up man. I'm busy trying to help out Nicole here," I retorted. Trevor, did you have to be such an ass?

"Help out?" Trevor said with a suggestive tone to his voice.

"I don't have anyone to travel with," Nicole simply stated.

"Alright, you come with us then," Trevor nonchalantly replied.

"You sure about that Trevor?" I asked, a little concerned. Not necessarily for us, but rather for her.

"Of course I'm sure Markus. Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"Okay, looks like I'm traveling with you guys," Nicole summarized.

Carly then walked out, cradling a new Pokémon in her hands. As I went over to tell Carly the news, I saw what her new pokemon was.

"Hell no."

**Ah, cliffies. Gotta love them. Two things to address urgently.**

**1. My support goes out to imabeemee. I'm sorry that you got hacked and some people are total assholes. I won't submit any more OCs, but I'll read the stories.**

**2. I'm looking for an artist. Specifically, one who does people in any style. I was in contact with someone, but they've fallen off the face of the internet. I'd like to see some of your work beforehand of course.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Okay Trevor, I'm impressed. You've managed to get the four of us on the train in first class accommodations, and inside the dining car without a limit. How'd you pull this off?' I asked. This wasn't like him at all, to go to all of this trouble. Without a make-out session on the line, of course.

Trevor seemed to get a little evasive at this point, murmuring his appreciation. Something was up. Maybe if I urged him on a little…

"Honestly, how did you pull this off? You, Carly and I haven't eaten this good since we were still back home. What's the catch?" I continued, cutting myself the last piece of a steak.

"Markus, Nicole, Carly, I haven't been entirely truthful in how I got us here," Trevor responded. Judging by the way he wouldn't look us in the eye, I was a little worried.

"What sort of catch is there?" Carly snarled, tensing up.

"We're part of the entertainment," Trevor answered.

Entertainment? What kind of entertainment? They weren't going to make us do anything wrong, were they?

* * *

><p>"You know, I have to admit, I pictured that we'd have to do something way worse," I said surveying the battle car. It probably was about as long as a standard field, but a heck of a lot narrower.<p>

"We have to double battle. As in, two teams of two trainers. The rest of the train is viewing through a closed circuit TV," Trevor explained.

"So this is going to be on TV?" Carly beamed, her eyes glistening.

"Yeah," Trevor answered, a little confused. In all fairness, I don't think he'd ever seen her go totally gaga about this sort of thing, but Carly did this on a fairly regular basis back home.

"Awesome! Trevor, you're going to make me a star! I want you!" Carly squealed, dragging him over to the other side of the car.

Sighing, I turned to Nicole. "I know you have a Tepig and a Kangaskhan, but what else do you have?"

"Um, a Blitzle and a Roselia," Nicole told me nervously. Blitzle and Roselia? How did she get her hands on those? One was extremely rare, the other common- In Africa.

Upon seeing the confused look on my face, Nicole looked down and added "Gifts from Charles."

"Alright, you use Blitzle. I'm going with Mudkip," I answered. She didn't seem to react at all to this, as if there was something big on her mind right now.

"We're ready. What are you waiting for?" Carly prompted in a sing song voice from the other side of the field.

"Give us a second- What is that thing doing out here?" I yelled.

"Litwick's never been in a battle before. I want to show him what it's like," Carly answered in a 'duh' fashion.

"Alright, let's get this over with. Mudkip, I choose you!" I called sending out the water type. Mudkip entered a battle stance, possessively guarding over me. Okay, maybe this guy needed a little more work.

"Blitzle," Nicole whispered, barely audible. The zebra stood tall, mostly black with white markings and a lightning bolt shaped mane.

Carly and Trevor had responded with Totodile and Charmeleon, which put us at the advantage.

"Nicole, focus on Totodile. I've got Charmeleon," I then snapped my head back to the battle. "Mudkip, Water Gun!"

A concentrated blast of water from Mudkip met with a steady stream of flames from Charmeleon, who kept advancing. A Flamethrower would have overpowered us instantly, so the attack was likely a weaker member of the 'burn it to a crisp' family.

Blitzle then dashed towards Totodile, only for Charmeleon to clothesline the electric type mid-charge. Blitzle went belly up, causing the light blue crocodile to run up and bite on of Blitzle's legs. The residual electricity in the zebra's fur did return the favour though, judging from how Totodile was holding its snout.

Alright, plan of action time. Fire doesn't freeze. It would take an ice type for what I'd need regarding Totodile anyway. Mudkip could try and slip under all of steam however.

"Mudkip, press forward! Duck under the steam and then go for Charmeleon's knees!" I barked out. The water type closed in, sliding under the stream of fire.

My Pokémon then swirled, knocking Charmeleon over. As Charmeleon landed on his belly, almost crushing Mudkip, the mudfish put in motion a dramatic change of events. With a bright glow, Charmeleon was pushed back into an upright position.

Marshtomp, I should say now stood on two legs and had a pale blue body, with only one orange spike of each cheek. This freed up his newfound arms for punching. The sudden size change shocked Charmeleon, though the fire type was still a good foot taller.

The two starters then descended into a wrestling match, while Blitzle was throwing bursts of electricity across the filed in an attempt to connect with Totodile. The crocodile was darting around as fast as its stubby little legs could carry it, dodging every bolt. Charmeleon then stood, raising Marshtomp in to the air with an iron grip. Charmeleon had a knowing grin on his face, almost as if he knew his preferred ending would be the case.

Gasping for breath, Marshtomp expelled a last ditch burst of brown spheres that exploded upon impact with the fire salamander's face. Charmeleon was blinded by the attack, rougly dropping Marshtomp and beginning to stumble.

Charmeleon's tail ended up swinging into Totodile's back as the Big Jaw Pokémon came too close, casing a powerful shock to go through both of them. Marshtomp stood there, breathing a sigh of relief.

Both collapsed from exhaustion, having used up too much energy to continue. Trevor recalled Charmeleon without much fuss. Carly on the other hand…

"I hate you! You can't win! You've ruined my chances of becoming a star!" Carly screeched, running up to me, and let's just say hitting me in a delicate place.

* * *

><p>Back in the train car, as Trevor finally went to sleep, I pulled out Swellow's Pokeball and my Pokedex.<p>

"_Alright, what do ya want? I was in sleep mode," _The device asked me in an irate voice.

"Hey, keep it down!" I harshly whispered. "I need you to analyze my Swellow"

"_Fine. It's a Swellow."_

"I meant seriously do your job. I can have you reprogrammed you know," I replied, a little annoyed.

"_Oh Arceus. Do boundaries exist anymore? Fine. Healthy, normal colouring, knows the moves U-Turn, Steel wing, Frustration and Wing Attack."_

"U-Turn? That explains it. You can go back to sleep now." Wow, that's something I should've thought of. I knew the attack too, so shame on me. I mean, attack your opponent and switch places with the next Pokémon?

Yeah, should probably go to bed. Trevor wasn't exactly your "turn in early, up at the crack of dawn" person, and having waited half the night for this opportunity, sleep deprivation was stating to make me act a little off.

On the bright side, tomorrow would be my return to Toronto, a clear sign of how far we'd come in a couple weeks as we headed west.

**Not Beta'd believe it or not. Let me know what you think.**


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter is pointless filler, and next one is just going to finish this one off. Nothing plot related happens here, but check back towards the end of the month and the story will move forward if you don't like filler.**

**Chapter 19**

"Hasn't changed at all. Granted, we've only been away from here for a couple weeks," I said, as we stepped into Toronto. The hustle and bustle, the CN tower in the horizon, the groups of trainers walking around.

"So, what's the plan from here?" Nicole timidly asked.

"Well, this is our cash balance, combined. We're up a couple zeros from when we started-" I began showing it to everyone. Carly yanked the paper from my hand, grabbed Nicole's wrist and dragged her off to the nearest mall.

Trevor the turned to me. "What're you going to get with the rest of the money?"

"I'm going to have to use my share to buy supplies, and with the leftover cash, a gumball," I replied with a sigh. Why would Carly need that much cash, anyway?

* * *

><p>"Let me get this straight. You wasted our money on CDs?" I furiously barked at Carly, having seen her shopping bag contained roughly a dozen CDs in seven or eight different colours.<p>

"They're Technical Machines, you idiot. Don't they teach you anything useful?" Carly replied.

"What are they?" I responded, a little confused. I'd never heard of them before, and wanted to know if she actually blew our cash on something stupid.

"They hold data for moves, duh. Anybody up there?" Carly teased, tapping my head a couple times.

"Okay, why do they cost so much then?" I snorted, waiting to corner Carly.

"Most of these won't break after one use. It costs a heck of a lot more, but is so worth it." Carly explained. Continuing this train of thought, she added "And Nicole got some proper traveling clothes too. I didn't spend it all on me."

"Oh," I stated, dumbstruck. Maybe she didn't waste our money, and I'm sure borrowing one or two of the disks wouldn't hurt in the long run.

"Hey, check this out," Trevor called to us from down the street, dashing forward. Holding out a newspaper, he pointed to an article.

"City of Toronto Hosts Exhibition Pokémon Contest," I murmured, reading the headline out loud. "You're not planning on entering, are you Trevor?"

"Markus, do I have to spell it out for you? Contests mean chicks. Chicks mean fun. Fun makes men happy."

"I'm still not so sure about it Trevor…" I answered hesitantly.

"Read on. Right about here." Trevor directed, pointing at a paragraph.

"As contest is not sanctioned, the winner will be awarded a cash prize of three thousand dollars." Wow. That's a lot of money.

"Alright, I'm," I grudgingly answered. "But, there will be professional Co-ordinators competing. We may not stand a chance. Plus, this is considered a formal Contest. Where am I going to find clothes that neat?"

* * *

><p>"Suit rentals. There goes the rest of our money," I sighed, thinking back to the irony of the situation- Having to spend money to earn it. Well, that and there being a suit specialty store across the street.<p>

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Suck it up and stop bitching," Trevor said, brushing me off.

"Alright then. You do know how this contest works right?" I asked.

"No battles, one guaranteed appeal round, top four get called back up for second appeal. Simple enough for you?"

"I guess. I've got no idea who I'm going to use though. Turtwig, Swellow and Stunky are out for sure. Electrike is definitely in as my round one. Problem is, I can't decide between Marshtomp and Makuhita."

"Marshtomp knows Ice Beam, right Markus?"

"Uh, yeah. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Let me tell a little secret about Ice type attacks I learned from videos. And, I mean actual videos," Trevor began, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Trevor, you look like a 50s prom reject," I stated, a little embarassed to know him. The powder blue eyesore he chose stood out, even compared to some of the crazier dresses.<p>

On the other hand, I'd chosen something a little more traditional, preferring a classic black suit with a red bow tie.

"Oh, relax. I'll be fine. Besides, the judges won't forget me soon!" Trevor laughed off, preparing Charmeleon for their preliminary routine.

"Alright, who do we have to watch out for? You probably know the big name Co-ordinators better than I do," I asked, moving on from the futile attempt to get Trevor to tone himself down.

Trevor then began to scan the group of people inside the rented hall's backstage area, poking his head into the men's and women's changerooms, rather hastily with the second.

"Two people. One of each gender. The dude is wearing a pinstripe suit and a fedora. I've seen him use a Luxray and a Gallade. She is a flowing blonde, currently wearing stilletos and a purple minidress. Her thing is water types- Milotic, Mantine, Kingdra, Alomola. I know the blonde is a Natalia. Not sure about his name," Trevor rhymed off at a speed that surprised me.

"Wow," I replied, a little dumbstruck. "That's impressive. You've watched more contests than you'd like to admit, haven't you?"

"Not important. Oh hey, Carly's on!" Trevor exclaimed, changing the subject. Following the direction of his pointing finger, I saw a TV had been set up streaming the contest live. Carly walked onstage proudly with Totodile bouncing along behind her.

Carly's dress wasn't a repeat of the club lengthwise, which made me relax immediately. Carly must have decided to match her outfit with Totodile, as her dress was the same hue as Totodile's scales.

"Totodile, begin with Water Gun straight up!" Carly exclaimed. The crocodile threw its head back, squirting the water like a fountain.

"Now spin!" Carly continued, waving her hand dramatically. Totodile shifted its feet into a sort of point and began to whirl like a top, misting the front row of the audience. Totodile came back to Carly, turned and bowed to signal the appeal's end.

"Wow, that was pretty awesome," I said, stating the obivious. Only one attack, and Carly had set the bar.

"Next up, we have Darius Rhodes!" The announcer called out, and the man Trevor described from earlier stepped out, waving to the audience. Instead of his Pokemon being already out however, he held a bluer pokeball with sticker like objects on it.

"Seems kind of like a little kid's craft to me..." I muttered, confused at why his pokeball looked like that.

"Markus! He's using seals. They make entrances seem a little flashier. Judges typically give more points for appeals with them," Trevor told me, panicking. Irritated with my blank expression, Trevor forcibly turned my head towards the screen.

I could see a Gallade's silloutte in the smoke surrounding the stage- Probably what Trevor was talking about. Suddenly, the shadow split into an identical pair of the original, which began to spar. The original fired off a Psycho Cut that phased the copy out of existence and dispelled the smoke. The Psychic type then turned to the crowd and bowed.

"Wow. _That_'s a tough routine to follow," Trevor blurted, taking the words right out of my mouth. "Alright, is anyone else with us up soon?"

I went to grab a schedule at the front desk, only to find a distressed Nicole pacing around. She was dressed in a robe, which clearly screamed she hadn't even changed into her outfit yet.

"Hey, is everything alright?" I asked, visibly startling her.

Smooth Markus, real smooth.

"Um, no. I just can't go out there. I mean, all those people and the TV cameras, and what if Charles sees me, or my parents," Nicole began to ramble. Okay, just some stage fright. I could handle this.

"Relax, you'll be fine. The cameras aren't here for you, they're here for the appeals. Being a Co-ordinator is like being the ringmaster. You guide the show, but have you ever gone to see a circus to see the ringmaster? Do you honestly care what Chuck thinks, and what's the big deal about your parents?" I said, trying to reassure her. "You'll be the best performance of the Contest.

"Alright. Thank you for that. I think I can go out there now," Nicole told me smiling.

I felt really good right now, but probably because of how much I was able to help her.

* * *

><p>"And now, our final performance of the preliminary round, please give it up for Nicole Durnham!" The announcer called, stepping off to the side as Nicole made her entrance.<p>

She looked amazing. Wait, that was an understatement. White complemented her perfectly, especially with the flowy sort of feel her dress gave off. Her hair was done up, a few stray locks framing her face. Topping of the look was the light green jewel on her necklace, the jumbotron snapping her up.

"Roselia," Nicole murmured, releasing the grass type. Roselia was primarily a light green, with a yellow strip going down to its mid chest and a leaf skirt. Three points adorned its head, and there were coloured roses in place of hands; a red rose on the right and blue rose on the left.

Nicole gazed backstage nervously, looking for someone. It took me a second to clue in, but I dashed to the left wing of the stage. Once she saw me, that familiar confidence from her gym battle in Halifax shone across her face.

"Energy Ball upwards!" Nicole called with a flourish. An orb of pulsing green energy formed between the twin roses and flew above their heads.

"Now Poison Sting!" Nicole continued, and a flurry of glowing white needles burst out of the red rose, connecting with the Energy Ball and producing a shower of green sparkles that were caught up in a swirl of rose petals, making the routine a show stopper.

As Nicole walked offstage, the announcer came back on, directing to a screen with four Pokeball shaped logos arranged in a square.

I immediately thought back to my appeal, which was only average compared to some of the other routines. I'd only had Electrike use Spark and Quick Attack simultaneously to produce a glowing yellow ring of electricity around me. Trevor had failed miserably though with an attempt to make Charmeleon perform a pseudo Flame Wheel.

That didn't exactly end well.

"The results are in!" The announcer exclaimed. "Our first two finalists are Darius Rhodes and Natalia Hayden." Two of the panels flipped over on screen, a headshot of each in their current outfits replacing them.

"Our next two finalists are..."

**Ah, Cliffy. I haven't even decided yet. This was an attempt to try something different, so let me know how it went. Two questions of the chapter:**

**1) I've kind of sort of hinted at Markus and Nicole in Chapter 10, 17 I think and here. I'm not sure about putting it in on the grounds of their ages. The question however is, what would you name it as a shipping? Best answer (If I get any... Review people!) gets a shoutout at the end of next chapter.**

**2) Although not every appeal got featured onscreen in the chapter, and Trevor has been established as failing miserably, which (if any) of the remaining three would you send forward. I had an idea of this, but it changed a short while ago. This answer will help me decide, though I'll use my original plan as a default.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Our last two finalists are Nicole Durnham and Carly Puttnam!" The announcer finished to the roar of the crowd. Oddly enough, I wasn't disappointed with myself. Nicole and Carly were spectacular.

Trevor and I passed our congratulations on to the girls, and went to change into our regular clothes.

* * *

><p>"So Trevor, who do you think is going to win?" I asked, seeing as he had the best idea of the odds.<p>

"My money is on Natalia, but only cause she tends to shake things up completely with her appeals. You missed her opener, but it was simple stuff. Milotic and Safeguard. Judges eat it up for some reason. Carly, Nicole and Darius all have a fair shot at this though," Trevor replied. "By the way nice hat. When's the train coming?"

"It's a German fisherman's cap," I spitefully defended. I liked this hat. Why did everyone else have to make fun of me for it?

"Whatever. I think Darius is coming on now," Trevor said, openly mocking me at first.

Darius strutted on to the stage, clearly confident about his prospects of winning. Holding another Pokeball covered with seals, he called out his Pokemon of choice. This time a Hariyama slammed into the ground, green lightning providing a background for the imposing battle stance it took.

The bag like exterior of Makuhita was split open, revealing a bright white upper body while its legs remain the same mustardy yellow. Its feet were now easily a men's size 16 with two massive orange toes on each foot. Finally, its hands were gigantic and could easily be compared to enlarged orange catcher's mitts.

I called then out Makuhita, who started jumping up and down like an excited little kid at the sight of its evolved form. Well, attempting to jump. The bugger was kind of large.

A thick slab of gunmetal grey material was then wheeled onto the stage. Hariyama took one look at it, geared up for an impact and charged. In the process, the sumo like pokemon became gradually surrounded by a light purple orb of energy with orange tendrils spiraling along the exterior.

The slab turned into small chunks with the impact, which flew right out towards the audience. Hariyama then clapped like it would when using Fake Out, turning the chunks into specks of dust.

"Showing off its raw power… I forgot Darius had a Hariyama. Normally he just uses it for contest battles," Trevor trailed off. I was visibly shocked by this, because if Darius could train a Pokemon that strong, he probably entered League competitions as well.

"Well that was something you do not see every day! Give it up one more time for Darius, and please welcome the first of our three lovely young ladies, Carly Puttnam!"

Carly walked out, Beautifly hovering above her head. Instead of the normally narrowed eyes, the Bug type seemed to be perfectly normal in front of the crowds.

"Begin with Shadow Ball!" Carly ordered, throwing me for a loop. Must've been one of the TMs Carly bought, because Beautifly could not learn the move naturally as far as I knew.

The sphere of shadowy energy phased into existence, making the bug type appear rather sinister. Yellow rays of light then began to glow, shooting away from their source-Beautifly.

Did Carly have a thing for performing in contests herself? I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, seeing she took to them this quickly. In comparison, I just wanted to improve our chances of earning the money, Trevor just wanted to meet women and Nicole…

No clue there.

"Alright, our third contestant up is Natalia Hayden, but that'll be after a ten minute break. In the meantime, don't go away," The announcer called, hyping it all up. Trevor then pulled out the newspaper from yesterday, which we'd spent the entirety of preparing and began to flip to the funnies.

What caught my eye though, was the front page headline- Newfoundland and Labrador Premier In talks To Support League Ban. I pulled the front page out of Trevor's grip to a ripping noise, which caught the attention of several of the people around us and began to read the article out loud.

"The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Kathy Dunderdale announced this morning that she was in talks with the Canadian Government about being the first province to ban construction of League gyms. When asked what was the reasoning behind this decision, she- I can't read this anymore," I then turned to Trevor, who was laughing at one of the comic strips.

"Did you even take a second to read this Trevor?" I asked rather incredulously. Trevor then looked up and gave me a one word answer.

"Nope." Trevor then stopped, looking at the article once I shoved it in his face.

"Ah. That can't be good," Trevor replied once he finished the first paragraph of the article. "It's probably a sign. Then again, it's just one person."

"Yeah, you're right. We shouldn't start worrying. Yet," I answered, a little more relaxed. As I turned my attention back to the stage, I saw them opening it to reveal a large tank of water.

"What sort of appeal involves a giant fish tank?" I thought out loud as the break came to a close. I mean, Natalia was a Water type specialist, but most of them floated in the air, pseudo swimming for some reason when they were out of the water. Guess science can't explain everything.

"And now, please welcome Natalia Hayden to the stage!" The announcer shouted, to a cheering crowd as the blonde Coordinator began to step out from backstage.

Natalia had changed her outfit from before, and instead of her dress now wore a strapless electric blue bikini which tied off behind her, and a matching pair of slip on heels. Clutching her Pokeball, she stepped towards the edge of the tank.

"Mantine, showtime!" Natalia called, releasing the water type. The stingray literally flew out of the pokeball, its wavy tail fluttering behind it. Mantine was fairly large, with blue patterning on top of its grey toned body. Despite it being the species norm, no Remoraid hung underneath its wing like fins.

Mantine dove into the water, then burst right back out in an arch over Natalia's head. Natalia then slipped out of her heels in a fluid motion, swan diving into the water as the tank rose up, revealing clear glass sides. Mantine began to swim around its submerged coordinator on a fourty-five degree angle, creating a ring of bubbles around her.

Mantine stopped the circle after a few more laps, instead swimming behind Natalia, backlighting her with a dark purple glow which refracted through the bubbles. Finally, Natalia shot up to the surface propelled by a wave, tucked into a ball, performing a somersault and crashed back into the pool.

As Natalia climbed out of the water, I then turned to Trevor, who'd been staring like some kind of idiot the whole time. In all fariness, Natalia had been showing off with the routine, but Trevor could have been less obvious about it, like closing his mouth in the process.

"Let me guess. Natalia's also a diver," I sighed dejectedly. There went all our hopes of the much needed cash.

"Oh yeah," Trevor replied, wiping the drool off his chin. "She never shows that much skin though, normally does her water stuff in a one piece. Guess someone threatened her."

"Well, Nicole still has to go on. We've got a fifty percent chance at the money," I said, trying to reassure myself. Ah who am I kidding, we're screwed.

"And now, please give it up for our final contestant, Nicole Durnham!" The announcer hyped, to an applauding crowd. Nicole, nervously stepped back on with her hair down. Holding the pokeball at her side, I smirked knowing Nicole could pull this off.

"Tepig," Nicole stated quietly, starting to put her confidence back on. The fire type pig flared its nostrils in an attempt to look menacing. In response, I think I heard someone going "Awww" nearby.

"Start with Smog!" Tepig then sneezed out a large cloud of black fog, blocking the fire type from view. Nicole then continued, with "Now use Flame Charge!" Tepig then burst out of the smoke cloud in an orb of orange flame, making it seem like a terrestrial rocket launch.

As the crowd finished clapping the rest of the finalists- Darius, Carly and Natalia (Now in a black robe) took to the stage. The announcer then came on.

"We now have the final results. Judges, the envelope please," The announcer told the crowd, making them all go silent. An Asian man in a suit from the judges panel then handed the announcer the results.

"In fourth place, Darius Rhodes!" Darius then graciously stepped forward, shook the announcer's hand and walked off to the side.

"In third place, Nicole Durnham! The judges wanted to specifically mention to you that you performed wonderfully despite your nerves." Nicole then walked off leaving Carly and Natalia to await the winner. As the jumbotron focused in on all of their faces, Natalia had on a knowing smirk.

Shit, she was going to win.

"And now, the winner of the first Toronto Exhibition Contest is... Carly Puttnam!"

Carly... won. She won! She won!

To top it off, Natalia's outraged diva episode made the whole thing that much better. Come to think of it, I couldn't completely focus on Mantine during her routine. Guess that cost Natalia with the judges.

* * *

><p>At the backstage entrance, Trevor and I waited for the girls to come out in order to congratulate them. Carly came out first, triumphantly holding the envelope with the cash, having surrendered the vanity check.<p>

"I did it! I'm going to be famous!" Carly squealed once she saw us, bouncing up and down with excitement. Good to see she was happy.

Nicole then came out once Carly had somewhat simmered down. Finally in a pair of proper jeans, Nicole still seemed to favour white, judging by her shirt and hoodie. The hoodie did have a couple of lime green accents however. Finishing off the look were a pair of light brown hiking boots.

"You were awesome," I told Nicole as we walked back to the Pokemon centre. We'd started to lag behind Carly and Trevor, but they generally didn't seem to care. Or hadn't noticed in the first place.

"Thank you," She replied, blushing. This made me feel amazing for some reason I couldn't explain.

Hold on Markus, what do you know about her? Her name, and that she doesn't have a big family. That's not much.

"Maybe we should go catch up with them before they ditch us?" I asked.

"Agreed," Nicole replied, as we dashed to catch up at the crosswalk.

**Markus had a little reality check there. I'm not 100% sure if the backstory I have on Nicole is too Sue-y to share. Also, if the slip on heels sentence of Natalia's routine is impossible/damn difficult, I'd like to plead the defense of I'm a guy.**

**The best name for the MarkusxNicole? PartnerShipping courtesy of TerraClearwater. You readers don't like it, come up with something better. It kind of beats my best choice (RingmasterShipping).**

**And now for something completely different:**

**fanficssuck: If we flip way back to chapter 1 (Somewhat improved, I may add.) Markus is 13. Nicole is the same, give or take a couple months. As a couple, they couldn't be sneaking off behind a bush, but more along the lines of a crush is realistic. That answer your question, Mr. Hat and Clogs?**

**TerraClearwater: Thank you for the compliments, I'm hoping to bring back the protestors way later on. Ottawa, maybe. Confused? Keep tuning in people! Same bad URL, twice a month!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

"Why does Winnipeg have to be so damn far away from Toronto?" Trevor complained, the four of us having decided to walk today. And speaking of four-

"So what do you it'll be like having five badges guys?" Carly asked, subtly mocking me for having sat a gym out.

"Why did you sit out in Halifax anyways Markus? You could have gone back in," Trevor said to me, his ridiculously short attention span kicking in.

"I didn't feel like it, there will be more gyms, I can still pass GO and collect my eight badges," I replied a bit too defensively.

"Theodora wasn't exactly intimidating, we weren't on some sort of time pressure- Three weeks into full on League season and three of us are halfway there, is somebody afraid of Ghost types?" Carly began to tease.

"I'm not afraid . I'm just not that fond of them," I answered, a little miffed about where this conversation was going. "Besides, I'm just as good as any of you."

* * *

><p>"So, what'll it be? Two on two?" I asked, a little unenthused. I liked battling, but today I wasn't in the mood.<p>

"All talk and no action Markus?" Trevor taunted, already holding one of his Pokémon.

"I'm not going to take it back, okay? You're on!" I shouted at him, wanting him to just move on. Unfortunately, the lack of females which weren't traveling with us had dashed any chance of that happening.

"Lotad, I choose you!" Trevor called back in response, sending out the Water and Grass type I hadn't seen for maybe a week. No visible change since then, except for it maybe having put on a little weight.

"Electrike, you're on! Begin with a Quick Attack!" I commanded, sending the canine barreling right into Lotad. The lily pad topped Pokémon slid back from the force. Electrike had started to strengthen up lately, so I was kind of hoping he'd evolve soon.

"Nature Power," Trevor responded, and Lotad spat out a series of glowing seeds that exploded on contact. Electrike darted around each impact, but there were a couple close calls.

"Signal Beam it!" I ordered, and Electrike shot a psychedelic beam straight at Lotad, hitting hard and making the Grass and Water type grimace from the pain as it responded with a high velocity stream of bubbles. Electrike took a glancing blow from the attack, but shrugged it off.

"Now finish with Bite!" Electrike then dashed right up to Lotad, bit onto its lily pad and began to shake. Until Lotad began to glow of course.

Trevor's new Pokémon stood on two legs, with the lily pad now taking on the appearance of a sombrero, with a dark green pattern like a vest. The green colour scheme the new Pokémon took indicated it hadn't changed in typing, and its nose was now smaller and red. Expression wise, the evolved form now seemed to have a permanent scowl.

Taking advantage of its newfound limbs, Trevor's Pokémon picked Electrike up, and promptly drop kicked it back to me. Electrike skidded across the ground, unconscious, to rest at my feet.

Time to review my options. Stunky hadn't been out in a while, and had the type advantage but she couldn't go blow for blow against two Pokémon back to back. Turtwig didn't know anything that could help me out, Marshtomp would be trumped by those seeds- Only Makuhita and Swellow left.

I thought I reached for Makuhita's ball, but I guess I misjudged how far back it was. Instead, Swellow furiously flapped her wings in front of me, kicking up a cloud of dust. She took one look at- Lombre, that's what it was called- and took it out with a single blow from one of her glowing wings.

"Woah," I stated, being at a loss for words. Swellow was that powerful?

"Voltorb!" Trevor called, showing signs of frustration. The electric type orb also scowled at Swellow, crackling with static as it stared. Swellow then glanced back at me, slammed into Voltorb and circled right into the red glow of the pokeball without me calling her back.

Turtwig then took her place. The turtle stood there calmly staring off into space without any sort of acknowledgement of what just happened.

"I'm not sure how to call that you guys," Carly offered from the sidelines. "Continue on as normal?"

"Not quite. Trevor should get a fresh start too. I don't want Trevor giving himself an advantage though, and I'm going to prove I'm stronger fairly." I then walked up to Trevor, pulling one of the pokeballs off of his belt randomly, and ended up calling out his Machop.

Machop stood slightly hunched over, with lean muscle glistening all over its pale blue body. Three dark grey, cornrow like spurts came out of its skull, and I couldn't see any toes on its feet.

"Game on?" I asked Trevor, a smile breaking across my face.

"Bring it," He replied as I returned to my side of the clearing we were battling on. "Machop, start with Low Kick!" Machop then ran up and swung its leg at Turtwig's lower body. Turtwig then landed on its stomach, his support having been suddenly removed.

"Razor Leaf!" The jagged leaves spun into Machop, propelling the fighting type backwards. Machop then picked itself up once the onslaught stopped, and ran right back at Turtwig.

Seemed like a pretty repetitive strategy to me, but okay. "Razor Leaf again," I said, somewhat bored by how predictable this had quickly become.

Machop however ducked underneath the attack at the last second, and continued its run hunched over. Its open hand began to glow a bright white, as it struck the side of Turtwig's head.

I had no idea how, but Turtwig just snapped. Its eyes narrowed into a glare, and Turtwig began to truly move, dashing forward as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him. A green aura similar in colour to Absorb surrounded Turtwig, yet this was brighter and more vivid, like it contained more energy.

Turtwig then slammed into Machop, putting all the force he could muster into the blow. Machop began to teeter as the aura disappeared, but Turtwig was still surrounded by the glow. One final round of Razor Leaf shot straight into Machop, much sharper and rapid than before for the clincher.

"Turtwig, that was awesome!" I said, congratulating him, Turtwig however, had gone back into his emotionless default.

"Good match Markus," Trevor told me, grinning.

"You still think badges are the best measure of strength?" I asked, a little smug.

"Yeah. You just got lucky."

"Bull and you know it Trevor," I retorted. God, he could be an ass. He did have his moments as a friend though, which is why I kept him around.

Besides, can't stay mad at a bro, right?

* * *

><p>Once we set up camp, I called out Stunky, Makuhita and Marshtomp for some training.<p>

"Alright guys, I need to give you some more credit. I've been favouring Electrike and Turtwig a little, but you guys are just as strong. I want to work with you the most Stunky. In the mean time, spar with one another you guys, make me proud.

The three Pokémon all reacted a little differently to this statement. Makuhita firmly nodded at this statement, flexing his arms to show off his power. Stunky had a startled expression, somewhat apprehensive. Marshtomp just flipped.

Openly attacking me with a Water Gun, Marshtomp was furious. I ended up soaked; unable to dodge from the shock Marshtomp would do this. Makuhita pounced on Marshtomp, using his own bulk to try and subdue the Water type while Stunky immediately shrunk back as soon as the conflict broke out.

"All of you return!" I shouted, the Pokémon disappearing in red flashes of light. The utter chaos- was I really that bad of a trainer?

"What did I do to deserve this?" I asked, before sulking back to where we were camping.

* * *

><p>"Quit your moping Markus. You're not some Arceus damn drama queen," Carly began to scold. After I had gotten back, I'd stayed in a funk which was annoying everyone "Clearly you're doing something wrong. Show me, I'll help."<p>

"Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll start calling them out then. Stunky, Elec-" I began before Carly interrupted me.

"Stop right there!" She yelled. "You're bringing out too many Pokémon you idiot."

"Oh. That makes sense. I never would have considered that. I just thought I stank," I answered.

"Look, rookie mistake that's been going on for too long. You need to bond with them one on one. If you stank, why do you have three gym badges?" Carly replied.

"I hate how you know more about this stuff than me," I said, Carly smiling once she heard this.

"I don't want to have to deny knowing you once I'm champion, alright?" she responded.

I swear she never did anything for me without some sort of motivation.

**Another chapter bites the dust! Bad pun, I know.**

**fanficssuck gets a special mention for being review number 50.**

**Review response time!**

**OceanSpiral: Thank you for the praise, as per always. 20 chapters and still kicking! I figure, 30-40ish more?**

**fanficssuck: Another one of your questions answered. Mid-chapter this time. I figured Trevor and Carly would pounce on the opportunity to tease Markus for this. Keep those critiques a coming, alright?**

**Manser77: Always negative with you. Find something you like for once.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"According to this map, we are lost," I stated, taking a look at my Town Map. "Thunder Bay should be just ahead, so close we could see it. And yet, we can't."

"Give me that map back!" Trevor shouted, yanking it out of my hands. He'd been the one who fired it up this morning, proclaiming himself navigator. Look where that had gotten us.

"It's defective. I couldn't be wrong. I'm amazing with maps," Trevor began to rant.

"You almost failed Geography. I managed an Eighty-Nine percent," I said, bursting his bubble.

"I'll take the map. I'm the most qualified. I took a course on this," Carly interjected, sliding the thin tablet out of Trevor's grasp.

Well, this was going nowhere fast. At this rate, the three of us would fight over the map all day, and travel nowhere. How Nicole put up with us, I had no idea.

"Um, guys? I think I can find the way," Nicole offered, pointing at a road. As a car drove by, Carly and Trevor stood dumbfounded.

"These days, follow the road and you'll find civilization," Nicole explained sheepishly.

"We seriously missed that?" Trevor asked no one in particular, taking the words right out of our mouths. "We've been traveling on collapsible bikes across the country at an inhuman pace, even without breaks, and missed the Arceus damn road. How pathetic is that?"

"Hey, we could be traveling through Russia instead," I offered, taking back the map and mounting up my bike.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the town of-," I read aloud, "Not Thunder Bay."<p>

Well, this stank. Only who knows how many kilometers to Winnipeg!

"Guys, maybe we should just relax here. We've been traveling non-stop for the past couple days. We need a cooked meal, showers, a bed," I began to list. As soon as I took a look around however, I saw that Carly and Trevor had ditched me and Nicole.

What an amazing friend, and such a supportive sister. "Come on, let's find a pokemon centre," I told Nicole.

"Actually, Markus, I think I'm going to have to catch up with you later," Nicole replied.

"Oh, okay then. Meet up with you somewhere nearby later," I said, trying to fake some cheeriness.

I mean, it had gotten kind of regular for Trevor to disappear, and Carly leaving wasn't much of a surprise, but I was a little down upon hearing Nicole want to go. I was hoping she'd stay with me.

It was her choice though. I can't do anything about it now.

"Alright, what to do, what to do" I trailed off, seeing a gas station. Where else could you find directions in a town like this?

As I began to enter, I noticed a very familiar looking car- a solid black, high end SUV.

"Weird. Just hope I don't run into-" I said, getting cut off by the distant sound of Carly yelling at someone. Guess directions would have to wait while I smoothed things over.

* * *

><p>"Let me at him!" Carly yelled, Trevor semi-struggling to hold her back. Carly clawed forward, trying to scratch Chuck.<p>

"Please. You'd be privileged be seen with me where I come from," He scoffed. "Where is Nicole? The girl is with me."

"In case you forgot, you abandoned her back in Halifax. Nicole's her own person. She can decide who she travels with herself," I said, standing in between Carly and Chuck.

"She made that decision long before she met you. I thought leaving her for a couple of days would send her crawling back to me. Clearly she's too strong willed for her own good, and not worthy of having had my charity," Chuck countered.

"It's okay Markus. I want to deal with him," Nicole interrupted.

"I take it you heard everything then. Alright, we're here for you just in case," I told her.

Chuck didn't wait for a response, expanding a Pokeball seemingly from thin air. Continuing with his taste for the rare and unusual, the furry yellow giant was covered in black stripes around its body. Its cylindrical forearms ended in four fingered hands, with beady red eyes. Right between the eyes, a black dot floated slightly above. Its body had no distinguishable torso, legs jutting right out underneath. Two long black tails swished out in behind, red tips at their very ends.

Nicole then countered with her largest pokemon, Kangaskhan. The maternal pokemon roared, squaring up against her foe.

"How predictable. Electivire, Cross Chop!" Chuck ordered, as Electivire's hands began to glow once they were in an x-shaped fashion. As Electivire came closer to Kangaskhan, the yellow pokemon struck out and made Kangaskhan double over.

Reeling from the force, Kangaskhan snapped. Glowing a bright red, it began to surround itself with orange spirals of energy, ramming back into Electivire full force.

"No way," I heard Carly mutter. "Kangaskhan knows Outrage? That's only possible if it's on a way higher level than any other pokemon we have.

"Wait, Outrage? That means any second now, Kangaskhan's going to lose control," I said, shocked that the normal type could learn an attack that powerful.

"Oh, this is rich. You're having the strongest pokemon you own use its strongest move, but all it'll do is wind Electivire here," Chuck began to gloat. In fact, Kangaskhan had stopped hitting consistently, beginning to swing its arms wildly without connecting. The normal type even hit itself a couple times, which began to worry me.

"Electivire, show them a true finisher attack. Wild Charge!" Chuck roared, and Electivire snapped. Electricity began to course through the Electric type's (Not really hard to guess) fur, expanding to the point of creating a gold shroud over a now white Electivire.

Body checking Kangaskhan would have been enough to win, but Electivire went into a charge that would have made a football lineman jealous. Their collision course sent them straight into a telephone pole, bending it like clay.

"Shit," Trevor blurted, in a pretty good summary of our consensus.

"Now, do I have to bring in a bigger gun, metaphorically speaking, or will you come quietly?" Chuck began to gloat. Even with Electivire down for the count, if he had stronger pokemon than Electivire waiting…

I don't want to finish that sentence.

* * *

><p>"Arceus, we should have fought back," I moaned the next day, Nicole being driven off to who knows where.<p>

"We didn't stand a chance," Trevor told me. "We would've had our asses handed to us."

"She'd still be here, okay? If I could do it again, I would have taken him on. We're not strong enough if he comes back."

"What about the rotation battle? You know, way back, about two weeks ago?" Carly asked.

"It was probably a fluke, or he wasn't going full out on us, or maybe he'd already taken someone else on earlier. The fact is, I want to become stronger. I don't want to have to step down again, next time I meet him," I said, ending the discussion.

Besides, she just needed someone to travel with, right? Chuck provided that. Besides, what was Chuck referring to by charity anyway?

As we continued towards Thunder Bay, and therefore Winnipeg, in silence, I looked around. Trees grew everywhere in solid forests, canvassed with areas of barren ground and rock.

In short, an indicator of how far we were from home.

**Wow, I'm writing Markus really angsty lately. I don't know why. When I outlined this chapter, Chuck was going to destroy Nicole. I didn't get that far into what would happen afterwards. This is a curveball even for me. Markus goes anti-hero? And exam season is around the corner for me, so I might get somethign off in January, but not show till mid Feb afterwards. The archive kinda stops then tough.**

**TerraClearwater: Another nail in the coffin for the frustration, huh? I pretty much rigged the battle here though. Nicole should figure into the not next chapter, but chapter after that guaranteed. Maybe next too, actually. Artistic license providing, of course.**

**fanficssuck: Anime rules apply. Markus used Swellow, Turtwig an Electrike. Trevor debuted Machop (6 chapters late...), brought out Lotad/Lombre and Voltorb. 6 pokes, 7 with the evo. Makuhita was just mentioned.**

**I did get another review from SpeedBump1. I'll answer it here, but please know that I won't comment on reviews for older chapters in the future.**

**Speed: Thank you! I dropped a word huh? Happens. I'll fix that in the future.**

**Author's question- Trevor's roster needs a sixth, which Carly already has planned. Thoughts?**


	23. Chapter 23

**Apologies to anyone I may offend here.**

**Chapter 23**

Four days. Four days since not Thunder Bay, and now we were in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Any conversation had shut down between us since then, me not wanting to start one, Trevor pissy for his own reasons, and Carly choosing to avoid dealing with us.

"So, you guys ready?" I asked, breaking our silence. All this lack of talking had let me train in peace, taking Carly's recommendations into account. I'd gotten farther with each member of my team that would listen than before. This was probably going to be my easiest gym battle yet.

* * *

><p>"What in the?" Trevor started, not believing the interior of the gym. "Do we have the wrong address or something?"<p>

I had to agree with that. An office lend itself to a Pokémon gym at all. And yet, here we were.

"The address was on the League site, I asked a couple people at the Pokémon center, maybe it moonlights as an office, and the gym is underneath us or something?" I offered, just as confused.

The ding of an elevator caught our attention, as we stared in the direction of the doors.

A large man in a business suit stepped out, his dark hair brought back in a ponytail. His skin colour caught my eye however, being a light brown, but not tanned.

"Hello there. I take it you're not looking for your parents, seeing as I don't recognize you. You look like you need to find a Laundromat soon, and you have proper pokeball belts on. Are you looking for me?" He asked, without me piecing together what he meant for a couple seconds.

An Aboriginal gym leader? I thought that most Aboriginals had a thing against training in general. I guess there were exceptions, and clearly a skilled one stood in front of me.

"I guess so sir. I'm Markus Puttnam, this is my younger sister Carly and my friend Trevor," I said, introducing us to him.

A look of recognition flashed across his face when he heard our names. "Markus, huh? I've heard some pretty good things about you. You're probably the first Anglophone challenger Jacques had who understood his French! I hope you prove them right, because I'd hate to be disappointed."

I was known as the French speaker? Well, take what you can get. It could be the only way they remembered me.

"Alright sir, would you care for a battle then?" I asked.

"I'd gladly oblige. Where are my manners, I haven't introduced myself. I go by Abelard," he replied, when I picked up on his accent- kind of like Davis from Corner Gas. "Come on now, into the elevator," he continued.

Seemed a little rushed to me, but okay. I'd done a lot of waiting lately, so maybe I needed a little quick action.

The elevator began to go downwards, the floor dropping into the basement levels- B5, B6- rapidly. Why did we have to go so far down anyways?

My question was soon answered when the elevator stopped, and the doors opened to reveal an underground cavern. Stalags- I could never tell which was which- hung from the ceilings and rose from the floor, as tiny drops of water fell on the rugged ground. Artificial lights were spread across the walls, and an arena was marked out in the single piece of flat ground.

Put simply, impressive.

"Still gets me from time to time. What badge are you guys going for?" Abelard asked, and I braced myself for the imminent teasing.

Abelard saw me tense up, nodding like he understood. "Alright, I'll assume you're all going for badge five, am I correct?"

Trevor tried to speak up, but a quick elbow to the gut silenced him pretty fast. "I'll go first," I volunteered, partly because the gym was Rock, Ground or Steel type, which I could counter easily with Marshtomp and Makuhita or Turtwig. The other part was to temporarily diffuse the teasing.

Just as I was beginning to gear up, a girl who seemed like an intern came in on the elevator. Out of breath she began to pant out a message. "You're wanted in the boardroom. Now. The local band leader wants to discuss the plan."

"I've been in Arceus forsaken meetings all day, my first break is ruined, just go get me a Double-Double," Abelard began to groan.

"Um, should we reschedule our battle then?" I asked, worried. If he was going to be interrupted constantly, I could just go straight on through to Saskatchewan faster than this.

"Yeah. Later. I'm on the rocks as is with this guy."

"Okay, I'm ready to go Markus. Trevor's already going," Carly told me. What in the?

Oh. Trevor had tried to get his flirt on again. I swear, if a girl was pretty, our age, had a pulse and some visible curves, Trevor would go after her.

"Hang on, now we have to wait for the elevator," I stated, just cluing in.

Trevor you are such a reliable friend.

* * *

><p>"So, how was she?" I asked Trevor, who was rubbing a large red mark on his face.<p>

"Shut up. Girls should carry a sign that's says 'Taken' when they have a boyfriend," Trevor answered. Guess he got his just desserts.

"Arceus it's hot out," I muttered as we waited outside. I took off my hoodie, leaving on a red t-shirt. The wardrobe change helped immensely, cooling me down as soon as I took it off.

"Blazing sun, early afternoon. What do you expect?" Carly replied to me. Made sense. At least Vancouver would be cooler than this by the time we reached there.

"Shouldn't there be more people out here? This is one of Canada's largest cities, and we're beside the gym," I observed. Counting us, maybe six or seven people were walking along the sidewalk, and I'd only seen one car pass us by.

"Are you listening to yourself? The gym is the perfect place for an anti-League protest. Winnipeg's smaller than Toronto or Montreal, but would get the point across," Carly dejectedly replied. "Being a trainer isn't what it used to be. If anything, it's way more dangerous."

"So what if you have a problem with the League though? They aren't the ones competing. When you sign up, in the back of your mind you should know the risks," I countered.

"Do we have to have this conversation? I don't want to think about the 'What ifs' and 'Maybes'. I just want to think about the 'I'm going to'. Is that so hard?" Trevor interrupted.

"Wow. That was surprisingly deep," I said.

"Not going to happen again anytime soon Markus," Trevor answered. "Ready to go back in? I figure we've been out here long enough."

* * *

><p>"So, what was that about earlier?" I asked Abelard in the elevator back down to the Gym's arena.<p>

"I run a mining company when I'm not taking challengers. We found a deposit of copper on some Aboriginal land. I've been in negotiations with the chief about compensation if the deposit becomes economically worth mining. Problem is, there's a bit of tension. In part because of my choices, but the Government liaisons- A married couple- had their daughter go missing a while back. Now they can't focus on their jobs and have an entire community in distress," Alan summarized.

Weird. Nicole did say she was from the prairies, come to think about it and she didn't talk about her parents either.

Probably just a coincidence.

"Wait, you say your choices? What's that supposed to mean?" Carly asked Abelard, having mysteriously managed to put her Sherlock Holmes cap on. Seriously, how could she possibly have that when I had hidden it in my bag?

"I'm Metis. That means I'm part Aboriginal and part French. My parents were always fairly liberal about training Pokémon. Most aboriginals frown on the idea of training though, with fair reasoning. They think human-Pokémon bonds should come about by choice, rather than force," he answered. "Of course, I think training lets people get closer to their companions faster than waiting around a bird feeder. Don't get me started on Rock types. "

"Alright, can we get our postponed battle started? I don't want to stick around this city longer than I need to," I said. There was only a little more than two months left to collect badges, before the League tournament began in early October. I wanted to be home for a little bit before I dominated.

"I like you. Straight down to business. Alright, how does Three-on-Three sound, no time limit, I can't make any substitutions?" Abelard asked.

"Works for me. Where's the referee anyway? Without one, the match can't count towards a badge," I replied.

Abelard then cursed under his breath, clearly frustrated. "I knew I was forgetting something. I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow then. Sorry for leading you on. I'll have a referee next time you come here alright?"

Darn. Well, only one thing to do now. Pokémon Center, train, laundry.

* * *

><p><em>"Still next to no signs that the Ruby was ever here sir. The energy levels are off the charts, but it's just grasses for as far as the eye can see."<em>

_"Very well. I'll need your next progress report in two days. The other teams are closing in on the Sapphire and Topaz as we speak. Don't disappoint me."_

_"Right away Mr. Worthington."_

_"Oh, one last thing. My son Charles is in the area. Check in on him; make sure he has the girl with him once again. We don't want people to get suspicious."_

**How the plot thickens, huh? I'm still refining a few details. I figure this will keep people interested.**

**Question of the chapter- Which characters do you want to see more of? Less of? And I'm still looking for an idea of Trevor's #6. I mean, there's Voltorb, Charmeleon, Lombre, Whirlipede and Machop. No type repeats, keep it realistic.**

**Review reply time!**

**fanficssuck: Yeah, we're a nice people. It took us nearly a century longer to become a country, but we didn't start a war over it. I take it you're someplace warm then?**

**TerraClearwater: Good to see it was realistic. That chapter is going to be sort of a fallback establishment for Chuck's strength (Kangaskhan was the strongest Pokemon the four owned, followed by Swellow). Nicole will come back. Eventually. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"Ready for this Markus?" Abelard asked. I grinned in response. I'd been ready for this all night. I then stopped my somewhat cocky train of thought.

"You do have a referee this time, right?" I queried, not wanting a repeat of yesterday. Winnipeg was a nice city, had some cool historical buildings to see, but wasn't a place I wanted to spend any more time in.

"This will be a Three on Three battle between Abelard Breton, Leader of the Winnipeg Gym and the challenger Markus Puttnam. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Begin!" A man dressed in referee uniform- Red shorts and a white golf shirt bearing the league logo, a Pokeball embossed on a red maple leaf.

"Well, that answers my question. I get first move right? It's been about ten chapters since my last gym battle," I stated.

"By all means, feel free to send out your Pokémon first," Abelard replied, gesturing for me to do so.

"Alright, Turtwig, I choose you!" I called, bringing out the seemingly emotionless turtle, blank stare and all.

"Is that normal? Typically the grass types I take on are much more, energetic at first," Alan asked, a little weirded out.

"Yeah, he's fine. Don't worry about him. I'd be more concerned if this wasn't happening," I dismissed. I'd had the grass type since day two of my journey. I could confirm if he was fine or not.

"Alright then, how does Graveler sound?" Abelard answered mid-throw, his pokeball landing squarely in the center of the arena. With a white flash, a craggy, uneven oval shaped ball of rock stood on tiny legs. Four arms popped out of its front, and a pair of eyes glared from what I assumed was its face. "Graveler," it moaned in a deep, guttural voice.

"Alright, keep it at a distance Turtwig! Razor Leaf!" I called out. That thing couldn't be faster than Turtwig. No chance to close the gap, no counterattack. Graveler however took the leaves head on, wincing in pain yet not giving a centimeter of ground.

"Not bad. That's more of a reaction than normal from Graveler here. Of course, it's my turn," Alan countered, a smirk on his face. "Rollout!"

Graveler span forward, the blur making it look evenly shaped. Picking up speed, it arced into Turtwig's side, flipping the Grass type over. Flailing its legs in the air, Turtwig's face flashed into panic.

"Return Turtwig. You need some rest," I said, as the red flash sucked Turtwig back into the pokeball. "Marshtomp, you're on!"

The pale blue water type confidently stood, arms at its sides, ready to begin.

"Hmmph, you think you're all prepared for me? That rock types are so predictable and easy, huh? Well, they aren't. They are strong enough to withstand the ravages of time! You're never going to win!" Abelard yelled, a menacing look in his eyes.

Oh boy. He'd gone mental.

"Marshtomp, Mud Shot the ground around you!" I called, and the Water type launched a barrage of mud spheres around itself, covering the surrounding rock. In response, Graveler just slammed its fists against the ground, sending out a weak shockwave.

The mud was shaken around, dashing any plan I had from before. Time to go back to the classics. "Marshtomp, Ice Beam!"

Graveler stood confused as the light blue beam connected freezing the left side of its body solid, while at the same time dealing a fair bit of damage.

As the Rock type swung its remaining arms in an attempt to free itself, cracking the ice on contact, I continued on with my momentum.

"Marshtomp! Water Gun!" I ordered, and the jet of water slammed against the unfrozen side of Graveler, who screamed in response to taking the attack head on. Slumping, the ice acting as its only support, Graveler passed out from the pain.

If that's what a quadruple type advantage could do, I was a little scared about dealing with grass types down the road. Even with its solid defenses, Graveler only lasted about three minutes and as many blows.

The referee began to speak up, but Abelard barked at him "I can damn well see it's out cold!" Returning the mass of uneven rock, he brought out another strange rock type.

Standing on two blocky legs without feet, the most striking feature of the navy blue mass of rock was its hulking nose. The nose itself was a pale orangey-red colour. I couldn't tell if it was awake or not, because its eyes were closed.

"_Nosepass. The Compass Pokémon. Its nose always points north, and it grafts objects onto itself when endangered through magnetism. Don't see many of those,"_ my pokedex stated, somewhat filling me in on what it was.

"Wait a second, isn't north that way?" I asked, gesturing to my right. "Shouldn't Nosepass be turning awkwardly right about now?"

"Iron along the walls to disrupt its magnetic field. There's a large enough concentration to make it face in the direction of the challenger," Abelard smugly answered, berserker rage seemingly subsided.

Oh balls. This can't be good.

"Alright, Marshtomp use Water Gun!" I commanded, but the concentrated jet of water instead came out as a torrential blast. Nosepass promptly fell onto what I thought was its back, stubs and floating pieces of rock flailing.

Marshtomp was surrounded by a pale blue aura, eyes blotted out into the same solid shine. Another burst of water aimed at the ground shot Marshtomp forward, as a round of solid mud spheres peppered its front.

Nosepass mustered up a counter attack, a pillar of solid rock shooting right out of the ground into Marstomp's flight path. A resounding crack was heard, and Marshtomp just slumped to the ground.

"Return, Marshtomp," I stammered, trembling as I did. I just couldn't wrap my head around the situation.

Shouldn't Marshtomp have kept going a little longer? And what was that exactly anyway?

"Should have trained harder there. In fact," Abelard simply stopped as Nosepass up righted itself. "You're not the first to attempt something like that. Torrent was a new one, so points there, but otherwise pretty cookie cutter. You'll have to do much better."

Do better. Always needing to do better. I never was truly congratulated. My game had to be constantly improving. I was not going to take another better.

"Makuhita, come on out!" I called, bringing out the pudgy yellow Pokémon. Instantly taking a battle stance, Makuhita stared down the Rock type.

"Arm Thrust! Double speed!" I shouted, and Makuhita immediately complied. Nosepass was continuously forced farther and farther back by the flurry of fists. Another column of rock shot up and forced Makuhita back in response.

"What attack is that anyway? I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before," I honestly admitted to him.

"It's called Rock Tomb. Effective, isn't it?" Abelard smugly countered.

Hang on, idea time.

"Makuhita, let the attack force you upwards!" I ordered, confusing everyone in the room. Makuhita gave me an odd glance, but quickly chose to follow orders. The pillars of stone continued to shoot up, and as one struck underneath Makuhita I sprung into action.

"Alright, try and land on top of Nosepass!" I called, Makuhita angling himself in mid-flight to try and reach the target.

Slamming gut first, Makuhita squirmed in an attempt to grab on and stand upright again. Flailing his rounded hands, Makuhita slid back off. Not exactly how I planned it to go…

"Makuhita, we need to end this! Thunderpunch! I'm counting on you!" I told the fighting type, who was spurred onward with new energy. His fist crackling with electricity, Makuhita slammed it into Nosepass. The Rock type hardly shuddered, but began to spin to face Northward.

"Makuhita, charge up a Focus Punch! But keep Thunderpunch going!" I ordered, Makuhita's other fist glowing a light blue while the Thunderpunch continued to spark.

"No! Rock Tomb again!" Abelard desperately called out. The stone columns vainly shot out in front of Nosepass, and Makuhita connected with a solid hit for the win.

"Nosepass is unable to battle! Makuhita wins!" The referee announced, putting me in the lead. Abelard grimly returned it, then sent out his final pokemon.

From head on, all I saw were a few points between empty spaces. Immensely confused by this strange pokemon, I then took a couple steps to the side. Shaped like a crescent moon and coloured a dull, dusty mustard, its unblinking red eyes just gazed onward.

Makuhita was then promptly lifted upwards, surrounded by a light blue glow. As the fighting type began swinging his feet, he was swiftly slammed into the wall full force.

"Return," I said quietly, calling back Makuhita. "You did well. I'm proud of you," I told the pokeball, then reached to bring Turtwig back out.

The grass type turtle stood, seeming to actually have some energy. Staring off against the Lunatone, it quickly launched a barrage of razor leaves which the rock type effortlessly floated around, not taking a scratch.

"Not good," I muttered. To win, you actually need to be able to hit your opponent, which clearly wasn't Turtwig's strong suit in this battle.

Alright, time for a new tactic. Turtwig would just have to get a lock on the Lunatone and use Absorb, or get in close and use Bite.

Neither of which seemed very efficient to me. Still, beggars can't be choosers. I guess the Absorb option was my best bet.

While I had followed this train of thought, Turtwig had continued to fire Razor Leaf at Lunatone, and managed to get in a couple of glancing shots.

"Use Absorb now Turtwig!" I shouted, waiting for the familiar olive glow to surround Lunatone. Instead, a brighter, more luminous version took hold and began to send a steady stream of Lunatone's energy into Turtwig.

Lunatone appeared to pale in response to this, launching a bright blue laser like beam towards my Turtwig's side of the field in a familiar retaliation. Ice beam? You're shitting me, right? Turtwig managed to jump towards the side in a barely successful dodge. Where he previously stood, a solid chunk of ice took his place.

"Love the look on people's faces when that happens. You have to love psychic types, no need to say anything," Abelard gloated. Man that guy could be such an ass.

"Alright, Turtwig, use that attack again! I think we can win if we can keep this up!" I encouraged the turtle, who began to drain Lunatone again.

Lunatone began to float in closer, trying to get a better shot as fan as I can tell. Of course, I don't think he was counting on Turtwig still knowing Bite.

Clamping on to Lunatone, using his jaw turned out to be a double edged sword for Turtwig, as the jutting point of the crescent forced itself down Turtwig's throat. Gagging, Turtwig slid right back off of Lunatone, gently landing back on the ground.

Mid-descent, Turtwig managed to fire off a point blank Razor Leaf, causing Lunatone to spin backwards. The Rock type ended up sticking into the wall, effectively unable to move.

I allowed myself to breathe. I'd done it. Wait, no Turtwig had. Turtwig had just won the battle.

In the middle of my celebration however, Turtwig shot straight up into the air, lifted by a psychic energy. Slammed against the wall, Turtwig entered a daze. Pulled back out, I knew there was only one move left I could use.

"Turtwig! Use Withdraw!" I desperately called out, hoping the attack would peter out. Pulling into his shell, Turtwig was continuously slammed into the wall, starting to make a dent appear.

The battle had been reduced to a waiting game, of who could outlast the other. Lunatone was expending a lot of energy in keeping Turtwig in its hold, and if the jerking continued, Turtwig would be out cold within a few minutes.

A few more slams into the wall, and I thought I saw Lunatone begin to sweat.

A couple more and the strain was clearly apparent.

Another, and Turtwig's muscles began to loosen up.

Finally, Lunatone's eyes turned into swirls. Victory.

"Congratulations Markus. I now present to you the Quarry Badge," Abelard stated, seemingly proud of our battle.

Taking the piece of metal in my hands, I took a close look. The badge itself was structured like the opening to a cave, dark grey rocks turning into a black, unlit opening.

Four down. Four left to go. That much closer. I was going to make it in time to qualify.

Awesome.

* * *

><p>In the pokemon centre after all of our battles, I was called by a Blissey. Following the rotund pink pokemon, I came to a room where.a brunette Nurse Joy began to talk to me.<p>

"Markus Puttnam, right? I need to talk to you about your Marshtomp," she told me. Already I began to worry. This was not going to be good.

"What is it about him?" I asked nervously.

"In your battle against Abelard, what happened? His injuries are far worse than what should have happened. Was there something out of the ordinary?"

"Um, yeah," I replied. "Marshtomp started to glow this light blue. Is that the problem?"

Nodding, she answered my question. "Torrent. It's the line's main ability. Powers up water attacks in a pinch naturally. Marshtomp seems triggered it mid-battle for the first time. It takes a lot of energy to pull off. Then, it comes out weakened and exhausted, factor in velocity-Ouch. You've been on the lighter side of the training spectrum, haven't you?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," I awkwardly stated.

**"**Look, we're going to have to hold him for a few days and keep him under observation. I think he fractured his skull. Mostly from how developed his muscles are compared to where they should be for his power level."

Fractured his skull? That's not exactly common. And this is because of me?

Son of a bitch, I needed to improve. Fast.

* * *

><p>Waiting around where Marshtomp slept, I had a lot of time to think. Were the rest of my team this bad? Worse? I'd been focusing on moves, and the technique in using them. Was that wrong?<p>

Interrupting my train of thought, Marshtomp began to wake up. I wish I could have said he looked better, but he was kind of pale and a little out of it.

"Hey dude. You alright?" I asked, hoping to get a response. I took the groggy moan of "Marsh" to be a yes.

"Look, I don't want you pushing yourself too hard anymore alright? I know you wanted to just win it all, but I have other pokemon too," I began, interrupted as Marshtomp promptly tried to roll over.

"Oh, so that's your problem? You don't want me to use other pokemon? I can't do that. If I relied on you purely, everyone else would drag behind. You know, Electrike and Turtwig? Or how about Stunky and Makuhita? Hell, even Swellow! It wouldn't be fair to them. You're my starter alright? You're important to me, but I love all of you equally. I can't just say that and focus on you," I finished.

Marshtomp turned back towards me, blinking. All I got after a long pause, was a single understanding nod.

"Thank you," I said, inwardly proud.

**Hey guys! Long time no type! Damn exams… I lost a good two weeks of writing. But the length should make up for it. I have a new poll on my profile, because I want to hear what the readers (YOU!) think. Reply time!**

**TerraClearwater: Thank you for the help you've been. Chuck's coming back next chapter, and hopefully it comes out nicely. Progress on The Arena will be slow, because it's down priority. I have a one-shot for my gf Sapphire's Destiny to finish by the 14****th****. Then start the next chapter of this. Then the Arena.**

**Konri Kari: Aw, thanks. Hope to see more reviews from you in the future!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Wow. 25 chapters. Thank you for your support guys.**

**Chapter 25**

The prairies make up about half of southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They consist of various grasses where natural vegetation remains and fields of wheat and canola where it doesn't. People are few and far between.

As result, it got boring pretty damn fast. Add on Carly and Trevor, and it becomes hell.

"Why does the ground have to be so flat?" Trevor moaned, general laziness getting the better of him yet again.

"Glaciation. Does that answer your question?" I responded, having become fed up with this behavior back in Quebec.

Before Trevor could respond, I saw a large mass of some sort of brown Pokémon running in our direction. As they got closer, I began to make out that they were Tauros.

"Huh, don't see that everyday," I said to myself contentedly, before it clicked in my head.

Tauros. About thirty or forty of them. Stampeding right at us.

Angling myself off the road, I ended up diving into a patch of wheat, the golden brown stalks surrounding me as the Tauros left a cloud of dust in their wake. Coughing, I uprighted myself and looked around.

"Alright, are we still alive? Is somebody dead?" I asked, hoping that they'd both respond. After all, dead bodies don't like good when you're dragging them back home to put in a body bag.

"Anyone get their license plate numbers?" Trevor attempted to joke, limply raising a hand I could barely see. Carly merely dusted herself off and nodded.

Defense Against Feral Foes 101. Wish I'd taken that class too, because she came out far better off than either of us.

"Tauros don't randomly run out of nowhere at people. It means two things. One, we're in Saskatchewan, and I think a new time zone. Two, something provoked them. We're going in that direction anyway, and have fifteen decent Pokémon and one baby between us. Might as well find out what," I stated.

"You sure that's a good idea? We're running low on supplies. There's a town about a kilometer back we could revisit. Might pick up some information there anyway," Carly said, playing the voice of reason.

"Screw that, it's a group of Tauros! How badass is that?" Trevor exclaimed, getting a little ahead of himself and running off to where the Tauros came from.

"There he goes again," I sighed, heading after him. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Carly had turned around and gone back. "Eh, we'll meet up later."

Now, I wished I hadn't been so quick to dismiss her.

* * *

><p>"Arceus man, slow down," I panted, having finally caught up with Trevor. Trevor then turned towards me, looked off in another direction and tackled me to the ground.<p>

"What was that for?" I snarled at him, as he pinned my body.

"You didn't see? Those guys standing over there. They're watching something. Like pros would." Trevor discretely gestured. Following his pointer finger, I did see a group of three or four athletic men scanning the area.

"Come to think of it, even as an endangered species, there wasn't enough Tauros for it to be natural. Something's clearly up," I said out loud.

"No shit. Now what?" Trevor asked.

Wish I could answer that question. To stay would be boring and make us sitting ducks. Crawling would produce unnecessary movement of the grass, giving us away. Running would be out of the question, as prairies appear flat to the casual observer. So flat, you could watch your pet Growlithe run away for about three days. They could probably catch up to us, or have Pokémon that could.

Unless, of course, they had no idea what was going on. Reaching for my belt, I grabbed two pokeballs and hoped they would be sufficient.

Doing my best to cover the glow of their releases up, I brought out Stunky and Kricketune, the bug type having made his return while Marshtomp was out of commission.

"Alright guys, here's the plan. Kricketune, make some noise. I don't care what, just confuse them," I said, stopping to point. "Stunky, it's on you to make a big enough Haze to cover our escape. We won't be able to get away without it."

Stunky immediately tensed up, scared stiff. Apparently, my attempts to get her to relax weren't working very well. Kricketune seemed to hold his head in his scythe, and then turned to start the distraction.

A high pitched buzz came out of Kricketune's mouth, causing the men to freak out. Kricketune was just short enough to not be seen from a distance, which was a bit of a blessing right now. I then turned to Stunky.

"Listen girl, it's simple. One Haze. That's it. Just relax. It'll be fine," I tried to tell her in soothing tones.

Stunky gave me a look of 'really?' then quickly obliged. The black smoke gave away our position, but considering we were on the move, it wasn't important. Calling back both of them, I ran, not stopping to look for Trevor, although he wasn't far behind me.

* * *

><p>"That was close," I panted, having gotten a safe distance away. Seeing as we weren't followed, I guess our presence wasn't that much of a threat.<p>

"Once again, no shit. Do you think they were scouting the area out for something? Trevor suggested.'

"I don't know; let's just get back to Carly. We'll take the long way around tomorrow, alright? Let's just settle in and relax for the rest of the day. Arceus knows we need it," I groaned.

Relaxation sounded so good right now, because even without constantly camping, warm beds were few and far between.

Said relaxation was spoiled by two things.

For starters, the gas station held an extremely familiar SUV with the right set of license plates. Apparently it was a gas guzzler, because why else would it stop so much, but that wasn't overtly relevant.

The other thing was that Chuck was inside the nearby Café's window, talking to an official looking man, who appeared to rather irritated.

Kneeling underneath the window, I judged that Chuck didn't particularly care what the man thought from his own body language. If anything, he seemed bored.

"We're looking for Nicole as of right now, aren't we?" Trevor sighed, pulling up beside me.

"To think, it used to be you who dragged me around a hundred percent of the time," I replied, smirking from the irony.

* * *

><p><em>In the Cafe<em>

"_I don't need anyone looking after me. As you may have noticed, I have a very capable group of creatures. Get back to your job. We'll need Moltres," Chuck scoffed._

"_I don't see any point in this either. But, you don't disagree with your father. Besides, we might have a small delay. Some of our men were spotted. They didn't see who by however," the man grimly answered._

"_I had to cut the girl loose. She was of no use to me, unable to follow the simplest of commands. This is how the bitch thanks me for giving her the chance to train some simple creatures? More trouble than she's worth," Chuck added._

"_He's not going to be very happy to hear that."_

* * *

><p>"So where should we look first?" I asked Trevor.<p>

"This is a pretty small town. Do you have a picture of her? Trevor said, giving me a question to answer my own.

"Um, yeah," I told him, flipping through the camera roll of my iPod. Stopping on one of her from the contest, I showed Trevor.

"This'll do. You had a camera with you that entire time though? And you didn't snap anything of Natalia in that bikini?" Trevor queried.

"Not important. Let me guess- the picture is to show people in hope that they saw her?" I prompted, hoping to get Trevor back on track.

"Yeah. Pokemon centre if this place has one, grocery store, gas station, motel if there isn't a pokemon centre, any other restaurant this place may have. She'll probably have shown up to at least one of them," Trevor confirmed.

We however managed to get lucky on our first attempt, as she sat in the pokemon centre by herself, clearly confused about what to do next. Her four pokeballs sat in her lap, staring back at her.

"Hey. You alright?" I asked, sitting down in front of her. Nicole looked up at me, and seemed to calm down instantly. Nodding, she made a quiet reassurance she was fine.

"So, mind telling me what happened exactly?" I continued. Nicole sighed, a strand of her chocolate hair falling into her face. Her eyes had a serious look to them, as if she'd seen too much in a short period of time.

"Chuck's part of a plot to take over Canada. His dad's running the whole thing. They're going to summon Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos. They need these items to do that though, and one of them is supposed to be nearby," Nicole told me.

"Wow. Not what I was expecting to hear," I honestly stated.

"Well, we can't go to the cops, or actually Mounties here about it. I mean, would you believe a bunch of kids saying they uncovered a plan to summon a legendary pokemon?" Trevor disbelievingly summarized. "And we got our asses handed to us the last time we took Chuck on too. We're screwed."

"Not necessarily. We lost when we fought him head on. What if we were to take him on from where he'd least expect it?" Carly suggested, having walked in on our conversation.

* * *

><p>"Alright, is everyone ready to do this now that it's way too late to back out?" Carly pointed asked, seeming to glare at me.<p>

"If I wasn't okay with this, I would have said logically said something by now, right?" I bitterly replied. "So, we take out the guards and enter through a smokescreen, get into the main tent they have up right now and hijack whatever equipment looks important?"

"Pretty much," Carly nodded.

"Eh, not the worst thing we've ever planned out. I say we can pull it off."

Creeping in closer, having a much easier time of it thanks to the dark, the four of us got into position. As a guard began to pass by Trevor, we sprang into action.

Tripping him, the guard made a sort of 'oof' sound and took a dirt nap as one of his friends saw. The other guard quickly called out something large and winged I had never seen before. The glow caught the attention of the other guards, and we were forced into a head on fight against them.

Why is it our plans always had to go wrong?

**Long time since I wrote a cliffy. Now, here are the reviewer shout outs!**

**fanficssuck: I get what you're saying. I try to get my physics semi realistic, which bogged down the battle a little to me. Hope this chapter doesn't make you lose all respect for me.**

**Terra Clearwater: Yeah, I don't get a lot of time with the gym leaders, so I have to make them distinct fast. The battle style helped with that. Hope I wrote Chuck satisfactorily. (Is that a word...) Yes, I have a girlfriend. And she's on the site under Sapphire's Destiny. **

**Please check her out guys. She's an amazing writer, and I think it would be nice to surprise her with an activity spike.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Damn it Trevor! We're Pokémon trainers, not miracle workers!" I yelled as we scattered. Whatever had just been sent out was quickly followed by 3 more glows. I made out the shapes of a circle with six outward points floating in the air, and a long serpentine body, but had no idea what the third was.

"I'm sorry alright? Besides, would rather have taken on five of these guys instead?" he countered, although I now had no idea where he was. "Besides, I'm about to give us a little light. Char-" he began to shout before I cut him off

"Are you frickin' insane? We're on the prairies! Charmeleon's tail would just be suicide!" I yelled at where I thought he was, before having to dodge a Hyper Beam. These guys really wanted to keep us out, because most trainers observed a convention of not having their Pokémon attack people.

A bright light flashed across the sky, and my eyes burned from the sudden change. Despite now having enough light to see what was going on, it was painful to look up.

"They're rock types! Work from there!" Carly exclaimed, as I saw her outline run into the camp proper, leaving Nicole, Trevor and I to fend for ourselves.

The same winged Pokémon came back in for another pass of Hyper Beam, and I saw from its shadow its body was a cool grey, with a gigantic head. Even with the chaos surrounding me, I pulled out my pokedex and attempted to scan it.

"_Aerodactyl. Holy shit. These things were supposed to have died out millions of years ago. Just watch out for the jaw. It's filled with razor sharp teeth,"_ the device told me. I wasn't necessarily comforted by how it managed to work in 'holy shit' as the second sentence.

Now that I was able to look up, I managed to see what we were up against. The light was coming from a Solrock, floating up above the battlefield as a centerpiece. The unknown shape turned out to be a Rhyperior, with orange pads surrounding its body sharply contrasting its dirt covered skin and ivory horn.

Finally, the gunmetal grey serpent burst out of the ground, turning out to be a Steelix. It glared at me, and then dove back into the ground as it moved on to bigger threats.

Namely, Nicole's Roselia. The grass type was firing off powerful Energy Balls at the Rhyperior, and the green Pokémon's small size didn't make for an easy target. The titans attempted to hit Roselia, but couldn't seem to even make a scratch.

Steelix pulled in, preparing to launch a Dragonbreath in tandem with the Rhyperior's Hammer Arms. The damaging gust quickly cornered the thorn topped Pokémon, blowing it into the air as Trevor and I called out Pokémon of our own to join the fight.

Perhaps bringing out Electrike wasn't the smartest of ideas, because as soon as it attempted to produce an electric current, the electricity arced into the Rhyperior's horn.

"Shit," I said, while Trevor's Machop used Low Kick on a segment of the Steelix, unbelievably managing to knock the steel type onto its side.

"Hells yeah!" Trevor excitedly exclaimed, excitedly changing Steelix's priority.

"Electrike! Help Roselia out with Bite! Go for the horn!" I called, as the canine rushed at the Ground and Rock type. Clamping down as hard as his jaw would let him, the Rhyperior almost screamed in pain.

A concentrated swirl of pink petals promptly slammed into Rhyperior, throwing it off balance. Electrike then let loose one of the biggest discharges I'd seen something of its size ever make, knocking out the first enemy Pokémon.

Hang on. Where were the big muscular guys? Wouldn't they have gone after us by now normally?

As it suddenly darkened, I saw why the Aerodactyl hadn't made another pass- it had been recalled.

"What's going on?" Trevor asked where he stood, taking the words right out of my mouth.

I heard hurried shouts, almost as if they were in a panic as the men rushed to the other side of the field. My mouth dropped open as I saw what they had managed to accomplish.

Flapping its wings with a majestic presence, Moltres looked down on the gathered crowd. Its narrow beak gathered into a sharp point, directed at a glowing red object, providing an intense amount of light which the bird's flames were dwarfed by.

It's funny. They never really tell you what it might be like to see a legendary Pokémon. It should be awe inspiring, but I was kind of past that point almost immediately. I just stood, stunned.

A red light flashed, and Moltres was consumed by it. That caught my attention- Did they just capture a Legendary Pokémon? It would explain the choice of types on their part, if Moltres was their plan this entire time. How had they managed to wear down Moltres anyway?

It then came to me. Aerodactyl didn't try and turn me into a crisp again because it had gone after Moltres itself. How did I miss the air battle, anyway?

"Got it," their leader- the man from the café called, and the men just left at a crazy speed. They were there one second, I blinked and they were gone. Trevor, Nicole and I watched as Carly came back dejectedly from what was left of their camp.

"It was too late. They were ready for Moltres when I got there. Totodile was knocked out, then Shinx and Bulbasaur," Carly began to babble.

"It's okay. We tried," I told her, doing my best to calm her down.

"Yeah. But what if they have the other two- Zapdos and Arti-something right? Then what? They may as well have already won," Trevor countered.

"They don't. I know that for sure. They're close with Articuno, but they only know where the jewel might be. They're still chasing myths with Zapdos?" Nicole let us know, prompting more questions from me.

"Wait, myths? Does that mean they've shown up before?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"Ever hear of the Rainbow Murkrow?" Nicole openly posed, to looks of 'huh?'

"It's an Aboriginal legend. A beautifully coloured Murkrow volunteered to go to the sun for a source of warmth after the first snowfall. It brought back a stick of burning fire. Problem is the journey back took three days. By that time, all the Murkrow's bright feathers had burned to a crisp. Normally the story stops there, but that's not quite it. That fire wasn't enough though, for it got much colder the next generation. The Murkrow went back, and this time its feathers burned off completely. The sun awarded it power over open flames for its sacrifice. Moltres."

"So, does that mean we have to find the other jewels before they do?" I proposed. "Shouldn't be that hard right?"

"We aren't nearly strong enough. We wouldn't last a minute against one of those birds. But, there are three more stops on the gym circuit within two weeks of one another. Carly and I'll finish our badges, plus use the training that provides and-" Trevor began, before I cut him off.

"Where does that leave me? I'll only have seven, best case scenario. You're talking about the gyms in Saskatoon, Calgary and Edmonton. What if we don't win in Edmonton? You only get one shot at the badge there," I told him.

Trevor then put on a devilish smirk. "Time to get good fast. You're on your own the minute I have eight."

"Why do you say that?" I countered.

Trevor evenly gave me the truth. "I'm going solo the moment I'm League ready. I'm training on my own, without any of the competition seeing me. Best way to win."

**Not a single transition this chapter? Wow. Hard to believe. I've had one in all my writing to this point.**

**Tsk, only one review? Have you guys forgotten about me? And if anyone knows where fanficssuck went, let me know.**

**Duckmon: Yeah, twenty-five chapters is a huge milestone. I figure this is the halfway point for the content; I'm just getting into the hard core plot.**

**Terra Clearwater, who didn't review but will hopefully get this: Canada boy is not impressed you had nothing to say.**

**Oh yeah, forty-eight more hours on the Trevor's team poll remain. As of this posting. If you haven't voted, vote. Aipom is in the lead, but that could still change.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"So, why are we here again?" I asked Trevor, as he led us into the convention center

Hmm, perhaps I should back this up a little.

* * *

><p>"A pokemon swap meet?" What's that?" I wondered out loud, as Carly gave me a look of 'you're an idiot'.<p>

"It's when a large group of trainers gets together and mingles. There's a lot of trading, hence the name, but you can do a lot more stuff than that. Vendors sell rare items, you can get tips from more experienced trainers, may be even a battle or two," she began to lecture, even though I got the point already.

"Yeah, lots of trainers. Sounds like a pokemon center in Toronto. Why go?" I challenged, mainly because we had finally gotten into Saskatoon and I wanted to spend tomorrow sleeping, preferably in a bed.

"You want to know where you're at as a trainer, right Markus? What better way than to challenge the strongest trainer in the building? If you manage to win, you'll be ready for anything," Trevor explained. "Besides, how many of your pokemon haven't evolved yet?"

"Stunkys take a while," I defended. I did agree with Trevor on one thing though, and that was the suspicious amount of time it was taking Turtwig, Electrike and Makuhita to evolve. Especially the first two.

"So, I guess we're going then," Nicole summarized, having remained quiet for most of our conversation. She'd been really quiet ever since she rejoined us and wasn't answering questions.

When Nicole wanted to talk, she would. I knew that. At the same time, I kind of wanted some answers. I'd figured out she was the liason's daughter a long time ago, but had no idea about her life.

I guess I just wanted her to open up a bit. Maybe Nicole still didn't trust us? Still, I let that train of thought go as we left because I had other things to think about.

* * *

><p>"We're meeting with the best of the best. I heard a rumor an Elite Four member would be here. Keep an eye out for me, alright?" Trevor told me.<p>

That was one heck of a bluff. No way would one of the four best trainers in the nation be here.

"Whatever Trevor. I'll catch you later. I'm going to walk around on my own for a bit," I replied, brushing him off. I walked away without taking him seriously. I had other things to think about.

* * *

><p>Walking around the various stalls was cool I guess, but I didn't see anything that caught my eye. I didn't need anything reminiscent of an infomercial product. I had no need for an evolutionary stone, but Trevor and Nicole would and Carly eventually too so I stopped there.<p>

The vendor didn't have what I needed in stock, so I moved on. Just a couple of Thunderstones and a Moonstone left.

I did buy a survival knife, the kind with a blade long and thick as my open hand and a compass in the handle. It was weird, but I felt I'd need it sooner or later. The guy, with his gut, handlebar mustache and lumberjack shirt did start to challenge me, backing off upon seeing a trainer card.

None of the other trainers really seemed like good fits to talk to. All they wanted to boast about was their gym badges or their rare pokemon they 'risked their lives for'. It kind of reminded me of the people I left behind at home.

I didn't miss them, obviously, but it was a nice little slice of the past.

"Hey! Get back here!" Trevor shouted, chasing a purple simian pokemon through the crowds. In its long hand like tail, it held a wallet. Trevor's wallet.

"How the hell did a pickpocket get in here anyway," I muttered to myself before I joined the chase. "How many people own an Aipom in a place like Canada anyway? It's too damn cold for something like that naturally."

As Trevor and I ran, we were buried by crowds and had to give up the chase. Everyone in the building had crowded around a battle between two very high level trainers.

One was a young looking girl with short brown hair, probably older than she appeared. This of course was judging by the size of her Gyarados.

"Come on ya bastard! Send out a pokemon already!" She impatiently yelled, a tinge of some UK accent clear as her opponent chuckled.

"Well, if you say so," He playfully replied, reaching into a pouch of his leather jacket. His dark blue dye job hair looked immaculate but windswept, like he'd used a can of hairspray after a long flight on a pokemon to get that look.

Sending out his pokemon, he called out "Come on out Gawain!" A large green draconian biped stood upright, roaring in an attempt to intimidate the Gyarados, Shaking its head and entire upper body due to the nature of its neck the dragon charged.

Swinging its head, two contrasting red blades jutted from its jaw and collided into the body of the Gyarados. The serpentine Water type angrily growled in pain, before calling up a large wall of water to slam into the opposing pokemon, drenching half their audience in the process.

"No way!" Trevor breathlessly exclaimed. "That's Geoffrey the Tamer. He's the head of the Elite Four!" I guess Trevor was right after all. I owed him an apology later.

"And isn't that the girl from the ferry, Mai? Why would she take a ferry anyway with a Gyarados that big?" I began to ramble.

"Focus man! Second most powerful trainer in the country in this room! Want to see how long it takes for him to kick our asses after this?" Trevor asked, a fanboy glimmer in his eyes.

"Your wallet was just stolen. I'd consider that more important. How much cash did you have in there?" I said, putting a damper on Trevor.

I was then distracted by the fight, as the green pokemon- Gawain, as it was nicknamed- was holding open the Gyarados' jaw while the much larger blue pokemon charged a Hyper Beam.

"You still have some fight in you, huh?" Geoffrey taunted, a smirk across his face. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to end things here and now. Shame really. You're good. Gawain, Dragon Pulse!"

Gawain launched a blue beam of pulsating energy right into Gyarados' face, ending the battle as the Water type collapsed.

"Hey, Mr. Geoffrey, wait for a second! Can I take on your Haxorus with my friend here?" Trevor called out, dragging me out of the crowd with him.

"I dunno. How much of a fight are you guys going to put up? How many badges do you have between you two?" Geoffrey responded, a doubtful look on his face.

"Nine," Trevor indignantly answered.

"If Gawain's tired, and it's the both of you…," The Elite Four member calculated in his head, "Yeah, It should be a nice test."

"Awesome!" Trevor yelled, before pulling out a pokeball of his own. "Come on out Voltorb!"

Hmm, speed and range. Trevor wanted to keep that thing from getting in close. Maybe a little power then.

"Makuhita, on guard!" I prompted. Yeah, I had a release catchphrase that I liked now.

As our pokemon stared down the dragon, I knew we were screwed. I gave us two hits total.

"Voltorb, Shockwave!" Trevor yelled, and the spherical pokemon launched an arc of electricity at the Haxorus, which seemed to annoy it more than anything. Oh boy.

"That's all you've got? How many of the badges are your friend's? He got a complete set?" Geoffrey mocked, not really paying attention.

"Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" I countered, and the yellow fighting type ran forward with gusto. Gawain just casually held up its hand, and my pokemon flailed just outside the reach of its stubby arms.

Suddenly, Makuhita began glowing, tremendously increasing in size. The tie around its head slipped open, revealing a white upper body with a blue diamond like marking at the top of a ridge on its head. Two large hands twice the size of catchers mitts stood open, ready for an attack.

"Hari-YAMA!" my new Hariyama exclaimed, slamming its open palm into Gawain. The dragon type took a quick step backwards, then in a swirling tornado of energy slammed both pokemon into the floor unconscious.

"You two did better than I thought you would. Congrats." Geoffrey told us before beginning to leave.

Recalling my new Hariyama, I inwardly grinned. Now this was a team worth writing home about.

As a small monkey like pokemon enthusiastically climbed up onto Geoffrey's shoulder, recognition flashed across Trevor's eyes.

"Stupid monkey stole my wallet!" he yelled, catching the dragon master's attention.

"What, this little guy? Sorry about that. I returned it to guest services. He's actually not mine, I'm just holding him for adoption, but if you want you can have him. He's too much work for me," Geoffrey apologized, handing Trevor the pokeball.

"Uh, thank you," Trevor almost stammered.

"Great, what are we going to do with an Aipom," I groaned, facepalming.

"Ah, it's so cute! Where did you get your Aipom?" An Asian girl with a bob cut, maybe a couple years older than us asked Trevor.

"What this little guy? We've been together for years," he began to bluff, walking away with the girl.

"I'll go claim your wallet," I muttered, heading the other way

**Credit time- Mai belongs to Oceanspiral, who is amazingly talented.**

**And yeah. Pure filler as you may have guessed, but Trevor's team now stands at six, and Markus has a Hariyama now. Not a complete waste of your time, right?**

**Replies! 3 this time. You guys are getting better at this. How about… 5 next chapter?**

**TerraClearwater: Wow. Out-dicked Silver. Nice. And Zapdos is kinda obvious, but I think I may have deked you out with Articuno. And I remember planning to bring a Kyogre into one scene...**

**RushedFast: I'm sorry you forgot the plot from my slowness. But yeah, I've got a couple epic matchups planned out. Watch for which main characters battle each other, and you'll guess them.**

**Mau5girl: Glad you like the story. Keep letting me know what you think.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"Wow. Now this is a really cool building," I remarked, gazing up at where the ceiling should have been. Saskatoon's gym actually wasn't in the downtown area of the city. Instead it was located on the edge of the city's limits. "Of course, it must suck when it rains."

"Immensely," A woman agreed, startling the four of us. She wore a vintage aviator jacket, with a scarf wrapped around her neck despite the summer heat. A pair of the shades matching her jacket rested above her forehead. Her fair skin gave way to a pair of sky blue eyes. "You have to close it up. Which stinks, because then this place feels like a cage. There's actually an observation deck out back, if you guys want to see."

"Thank you ma'am," Nicole spoke up, surprising me. It was still pretty rare for her to talk to new people, and I was only getting the barest of conversation out of her anyway. I guess she was still kind of shy.

"No problem. Hmm, you guys look familiar. Should I know you?" She asked a confused look on her face.

"Would somebody have mentioned us? I know that Gym Leaders talk to each other," I told her, before she dismissively waved her hand.

"Eh, I like to be surprised. Makes it more fun to find out for yourself," She answered. "It's just back that way. Take the stairs on the left. You're almost able to see straight to the next city. Really, it's amazing."

"Thanks for that," I replied, before following Carly and Trevor's race to get there first.

* * *

><p>"Wow. Now this is a view I could get used to," I stated, staring off into the distance. At least, pretending to. Nicole was partly in my line of sight, so it did bias my opinion a little.<p>

"I never thought all this was part of being a trainer," Nicole said, throwing me for a loop. "The constant competition, the jockeying for power. I don't even want to really fill up my team anymore. I don't think I'll compete in any of the gyms again. It's just too much stress over eight pieces of metal."

"Well, what did you expect to be part of the deal?" I asked, interested in her train of thought.

"The travel. You know, being able to go from city to city, prairies to forests within days. And the people. I've met so many people passionate about the same thing, just from when we take a rest to battle others passing by."

You know, I just felt shallow hearing this. Absolute victory had been my goal from the start. I'd never seen anything else to it.

Maybe I should've taken things into consideration for my point of view. I ran away from home with my best friend and younger sister in the dead of night. I hadn't seen my mom in over a month. I stopped a street gang my first day on the road. I'd met the biggest prick Arceus ever breathed life into, and an amazing girl to counterbalance him. I'd seen a Legendary, gotten my ass kicked by one of the best trainers in the country…

And yeah, I had four of my eight pieces of metal. Of course, I couldn't remember any of my battles. I just associated them with a timeline of what had happened.

Maybe there was more to a journey after all.

* * *

><p>"So, are you guys ready to move on to what you actually came here for?" The woman prompted us.<p>

"Bring it on!" Trevor exclaimed, a fire burning in his eyes.

"Ah, a free spirit type I see. I like that. Let me show you the arena," She grinned, gesturing towards the other direction.

As we walked, I decided to clear up the elephant in the room. "So, I take it you're the Gym Leader?"

"Guess you caught me. Francesca Avian, at your service."

Taking a second to stop and think, I continued. "Avian… every Gym Leader's name relates to their chosen type somehow for some really weird forever unexplained reason… you like Flying Types?"

"Wow, you're perceptive. I really want to take you on now. Of course, your friend here gets first go," Francesca answered, pointing at Trevor. "And yeah, Flying Types… are truly free spirits. They go where they want, untamed by gravity and commitment," she finished with a sigh.

Stepping into the arena area, my mouth gaped open. Instead of the standard box, it was circular in design. Four pillars evenly spaced in the ring led to a series of platforms, most likely so that land based Pokémon could reach flying targets more easily.

"Took me forever to get this approved. Gym Leaders are allowed to customize their battlefields, but normally it's just in aesthetics. Like, how Kristoff has a courtyard he holds his battles in. Go back during the day, and you'll see the outline marked out," Francesca explained. "I think here and Vancouver are the only gyms who took full advantage of it."

"You sure you want to do this Trevor? You don't exactly have the best team for it," I stated, as he glared in response.

"I think I'll manage," he said icily. Meanwhile, Francesca crossed over to the other side and faced us.

"This will be a three on three battle between the Francesca Avian and the Challenger, only the latter of which may make substitutions. Begin when ready," a PA system called out.

"Oh my Arceus, I almost forgot! Your platform can be moved around with a remote, so you can always see what's going!" Francesca shouted, her voice echoing from the distance and construction.

"Come on out Aipom!" Trevor exclaimed, releasing the energetic purple monkey. I was flabbergasted by this; only one day and already in a gym battle together?

"Take flight Jumpluff!" Francesca countered, choosing to send out a tiny blue pokemon, with three cotton-like puffs coming out of its body. A gust of wind carried it into the air, where it began to hover.

"Aipom, start it off with Slam!" Trevor commanded. Bouncing off one of the poles to gain the necessary air, Aipom swung its tail as part of a mid air spin. The hand-like appendage ended up striking the blue puffball's side, sending it off in a completely different direction. Landing against another one of the poles, Aipom faced its opponent.

Angling back towards its foe, Jumpluff then began to spit a stream of high velocity seeds in the now stationary Aipom's direction. Sliding down the pole, the monkey barely escaped the line of fire.

As the sun began to shine in on the battlefield, I had to shield my eyes from the glow. Grinning as the light reflected off of her jet black hair, Francesca merely pulled her shades down in front of her eyes and continued.

"Alright, new tactic! Jumpluff, use Solarbeam!" she encouraged, as the grass type eagerly complied. Gathering a solid white ball of energy in front of its mouth, the resulting beam began to tear into the pillar where Aipom was.

"Aipom! Thunderbolt!" Trevor exclaimed. As the stream of crackling electricity collided with the beam, I could only put together one comprehensive thought: What the hell? How does a monkey, very close in genetic structure to us, produce an electric charge? Does that mean we can shoot lightning bolts?

"Hmmph, I should have known. Mainstream society poseur. Figures that you'd try to win with unfair boosts," Francesca taunted, while Jumpluff's attack managed to overpower Aipom's Thunderbolt.

Sent hurling into the ground, Aipom slammed against the cold hard floor. Attempting to get up, another flurry of seeds pinned the Normal type to the floor.

"Alright, Aipom, we can still do this. Move as you Double Team, now!" Trevor ordered, causing the monkey to jump mid attack, sending the copies all over the battlefield still in motion.

"Aerial Ace Jumpluff!" Francesca screamed, as the blue sphere pulled into a tight charge, arcing through most of the copies in one fell swoop. When Jumpluff finally cleared the last of the copies, the real Aipom was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for something?" Trevor asked from his platform, now well above us. Aipom then began to freefall, the hand on its tail now a sort of demonic black aura. Pushing Jumpluff into the ground with the attack, Aipom didn't let go until the swirls crossed the flying type's eyes.

"Jumpluff is now unable to battle. Francesca, your next pokemon please. At the appropriate strength level of the challenger, so as to avoid a repeat of yesterday," the voice prompted.

"So what if I may have sent out a Pidgeot against a little kid. Accidents happen, and labels are boring," Francesca dismissed, a little irritated. "Drifblim, you're on!"

A purple air balloon like pokemon with a yellow X for a nose and wispy puff above its… forehead gently hovered in place. Surrounding Aipom in a light blue glow, it slammed Aipom into a wall and took it out instantly.

"Voltorb!" Trevor called, exchanging the two, as a red and white sphere of his own took the floor. "Discharge!"

As enormous amounts of jagged shocks darted out over the arena, Drifblim was taken by surprise and unable to dodge. Visibly shuddering, it dropped to the ground barely conscious.

"Explosion!" Francesca called out, and the battleground was covered in a cloud of smoke as the blast resounded through the dome.

Once the smoke cleared, both pokemon were out cold. That attack must have been extremely powerful, as Voltorb had been in perfect condition leading up to the attack.

Sending in their final pokemon, both sides quickly fell into a stare down. Charmeleon faced off against a three headed, bipedal brown bird. Its spindly legs brought it up to the height of looking directly into the eye of the fire type, whose claws were already brandished for the fight.

"Charmeleon! Flamethrower!" Trevor commanded as a blazing stream of fire shot towards the Dodrio. The bird promptly darted out of the way, reappearing beside Charmeleon as the heads began to peck in rapid fire succession.

Countering with Slash, the blow struck the shared chest and sent the bird skidding backwards. Charmeleon then let out an agitated roar before shooting another Flamethrower.

"Use the ramps Dodrio!" Francesca panicked, now more worried than pissed off at Trevor. Dashing upwards into the sky, Charmeleon could only growl due to not being fast enough to keep up.

Glowing a bright white, Charmeleon promptly began to grow several feet, as the single horn on its head split into two smaller ones. Now a pale orange colour and slightly paunchier, the Charizard spread its new wings for the first time and took to the skies.

"Aerial Ace!" Trevor smugly called out, an ecstatic look spread across his face.

Wow. A Charizard. This was truly awesome thing for him to have accomplished. I then looked at Marshtomp's pokeball, glad he was cleared to be on the road again. Of course, the nurse's words echoed through my mind.

_ "No battles for at least another week. Take it easy with him. Marshtomp won't be able to pull his full weight for a while."_

Slamming into Dodrio, their battle quickly ended. A calmer Trevor stood triumphant, waiting for Francesca to present the badge.

"Congratulations Trevor Macullen. I present you with the Aero Badge," Francesca said, handing him the piece of metal. Showing it off as he came towards us, I could see the pride radiating off of him. As I took a closer look, I saw it was the dark grey shadow of a bird in flight, with a gold border.

"So, Markus, how does two on two sound? After all, it seems that you're short a badge on Trevor here…" Francesca asked, a sly grin across her face. I guess she'd already managed to bounce back from the crushing loss.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I replied, a still unfamiliar confidence in my voice.

**I don't know why, but I want to end the chapter here for some reason. It's funny that way. Everything is just playing out in my head, and whenever I think I have a plan, it gets thrown out the window. Charizard was supposed to debut about… 10-ish chapters from now.**

**I've also started to assign the characters theme songs, but I think some of them might be a little far reaching. Here's the list:**

**Markus: Definition of Destiny by Billy Talent**

**Trevor: Is currently Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, but I think there might something better fitting. Suggestions?**

**Nicole: Summertime by My Chemical Romance, but I think there might be a nicer fit. Something delicate, innocent.**

**Chuck: The Good Life by Three Days Grace. It'll make sense later on.**

**Carly: I can't think of one. Sorry, but Carly's never gotten her fair share of screen time. I'm frustrated and alright with that at the same time.**

**And now, the reviews!**

**Terra Clearwater: Yeah, Aipom got used. Of course, now he has a Charizard... And I guess Chuck does deserve his own trainer class. Plain Evil? Geoffrey's number 4 of the elites by the way people. And Hariyama got in a hit. Yeah, kind of sue-ish...**

**fanficssuck: It's cool bro. Come and go as you please.**

**Mau5girl: Sadly, they were never going to really spend time at the swap meet. It was filler, I typically don't revisit those events.**

**RushedFast: Thanks for the continued support.**

**Manser77: Glad to see you back. I think.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Alright, this battle will be two on two and you already know the rules regarding substitution. Ready when you are," Francesca prompted me, two new pokemon selected for our battle. Of course, I had no idea what I was to be going up against. The only pokemon resembling a bird she used against Trevor was that Dodrio, and it didn't fly.

Grasping Electrike's pokeball, which in my mind seemed like a safe bet for the conditions, I nodded. "Let's get this battle started."

Releasing both of our pokemon simultaneously, I relaxed upon the metallic sheen of her pokemon. Towering over Electrike, it let loose a caw from its sharp swordlike beak. The canine however held his ground without any sign of intimidation.

I felt inwardly proud for a moment, then returned my attention to the battle at hand.

"Spark!" I called out, already running the battle through my mind, where Electrike hits the Skarmory hard and its metal body works against it as a conductor.

"Nice try kid. Take flight Skarmory!" Francesca taunted as Skarmory pushed off of the ground with one flap of its metal wings. Electrike ran through the cloud of dust left in the flying type's wake, growling in frustration at not being able to hit his opponent.

"Alright then, use Signal Beam," I said, changing my tactics. The psychedelic beam however had next to no effect, reflecting off of the bird's metal body. This battle wasn't going the way I had planned it to at all. I mean, this probably wasn't the first time they'd fought an Electrike but I had hoped that this would go more in my favour.

Hang on, was that a ramp up around the pillar? I'd forgotten about that. All Electrike would have to do was Quick Attack up high enough and jump… Wait, no. Definitely would not be a good idea for me to attempt that. I couldn't risk losing another main from my team so soon. And in a couple weeks, I wouldn't have breathing room for injuries like that anyway.

"Electrike, return. I'm going to need you to wait it out," I sighed, recalling the disappointed canine. Looking through my belt, I paled at the only other option I had.

After all, Hariyama was too big to keep pace in a ranged fight, Turtwig was too mellow for me to rely on him with a type disadvantage, Stunky would definitely be too scared to fight the clearly avian opponent and I did not want to piss off a bunch of doctors. Free healthcare didn't even figure into that line of thought.

"Swellow!" I called out, more from habit than anything really. Glancing back at me, her huffy snort did not go unnoticed. At the very least, flight would no longer be the deciding factor in this battle.

"A bird of your own? Glad to see it," Francesca stated, the words playfully rolling off of her tongue.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with," I murmured, already resigned to the fact I would be completely ignored.

"Skarmory, Steel Wing!" Francesca commanded, and the metal bird's wings began to glow with a sort of brilliant white energy. Using a Steel Wing of its own, Swellow darted directly at its much larger opponent, angling out of the enemy's effective range at the last second. Circling back, Swellow's attack struck the back of Skarmory's head.

I guess I never really considered the advantages Swellow would offer. While smaller, Swellow was faster actually and more maneuverable the bulky Skarmory. Of course, Skarmory did have some of its own advantages. For starters, a metal body makes for solid defense, and size always does seem to matter.

"Alright Skarmory, if it won't stay still, Swift!" Francesca ordered, intent on striking me down. As I began to see stars, pardon the pun, fly towards Swellow, I began to worry.

"Be careful up there girl!" I called out, a little more panicky than I intended. Swellow instead brushed me off and flew in a tight loop to make the stars strike Skarmory. Not bad.

"You're a hell of a lot more maneuverable up there Swellow! Use that to your advantage!" I told the bird, who then began the necessary speed increase for an Aerial Ace. Arceus, that move is common.

Swapping between Steel Wing and the new Aerial Ace, Swellow managed to control Skarmory's movement and lock the larger bird in a holding pattern. Skarmory began to gear up for a counter attack, but I wasn't worried. Swellow had managed to take the battle. Just a couple more hits and-

"Icy Wind Skarmory!"

Are you kidding me? How in the world does a metal bird learn a move like that?

Still, the blast of cold air threw Swellow off balance, forcing her to try and land one of the ramps as to avoid the attack. I needed to change our strategy, but Swellow would have to trust me first and like hell that would happen.

With Skarmory's attack generating its own microclimate, time wasn't on Swellow's side. Screw this whole let her battle thing, I needed to take matters into my own hands.

"Swellow! I need you to fly straight up and loop right around. Trust me, or you'll lose," I pleaded.

My own Flying type stared directly at me for a fleeting moment, then nodded at me. Darting upwards faster than Skarmory could redirect the gust, Swellow picked up speed and slammed downwards into Skarmory's lower body. With a sudden satisfying squawk, I was able to confirm Skarmory was defeated.

"Not bad. Skarmory here is actually one of my stronger ones at this level. Of course, you need to beat two of mine in order to win. Come on out Xatu!" the Gym Leader taunted with a smug little wink.

I couldn't help thinking about how racist Francesca's next pokemon looked to me. Its wings when folded looked like a small teepee, and the feathers coming off of its head closely resembled a small headdress. Its emotionless green eyes stared back at me, as if it was deep in thought.

"Xatu," It murmured in a sort of peaceful tone. This of course was immediately before Swellow had a run in with an electric attack. Recalling Swellow, I was forced to bring back out Electrike.

Or rather, that's what I tried to do. Instead of the rather green pup, I was met with a large blue alpha wolf that had accentuating yellow fur around its paws, rear and head, which came off into angular points. "Manectric," it growled. Pulling out my pokedex, I began to scan my electric type's new form.

"_Puppy took a level in badass I see. Very nice. Manectric actually has access to many more much stronger moves. For example, Discharge,"_ the device offered. Not bad.

"Manectric, Discharge!" I called, eager to see the results. The circular area was covered with stray electric shocks, all originating from Manectric. As lightning arced vigorously to the point of blocking my field of view, I had no idea what was happening to Xatu.

Once Manectric's attack ended, a pale green orb surrounding Xatu dissolved. Protect. It almost figured such a motionless bird would know that move, given it really didn't seem keen on dodging anytime soon.

Hang on, doesn't like dodging?

Perfect.

"Manectric, Quick Attack!" I yelled, only for the now much larger dog to slam into Xatu and produce a puff of smoke. Hang on, smoke? Did that thing know Substitute too?

My suspiscions were confirmed the instant I saw Xatu standing a few feet behind where Manectric connected. However, seeing as using Substitute eats into a pokemon's energy I could use that to my advantage.

The Xatu's eyes then began to shimmer a bright blue, as Manectric was lifted into the air and slammed against the ground. He then got up, fury blazing across his own eyes and snout contorted into a vicious snarl.

Going into another run, Manectric released a Discharge where we thought Xatu was, only for another smokescreen to appear. However, the electricity caught the bird off guard, lifting the what I assumed was a Psychic type up into the air. Time for us to go in for the kill.

"Manectric, Crunch!" I ordered, and with a satisfying clamp of its jaws, Xatu's all seeing eyes turned into swirls. Victory.

* * *

><p>Back at the pokemon center I lay on my bed in the room Trevor and I were sharing. He'd gone downstairs with Carly for food, and I had no idea where Nicole was. Flipping through the TV channels, I tried to find a movie or something to watch.<p>

Settling on some chick flick due to there being nothing else on, I pulled out Swellow's pokeball and my pokedex. Turning the device on, it spoke to me before I had a chance to reply.

"_Okay, if this is about those iPad ads, I can explain,"_ it led off, catching me completely off guard.

"I'm not going to bother with that since I want to deal with something completely different. I want you to check Swellow's moves again," I replied, a little confused about what the thing was talking about.

"_Oh. Sure. Your Swellow knows U-Turn, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace and Return. Huh, that's odd,"_ it told me.

"How is that odd?" I retorted, a little miffed about how vague that was.

"_Last time, it knew Frustration. It's a move that gets stronger the more a pokemon hates its trainer. Return is the exact opposite. And it's a recent change too. The move only became part of its active four this afternoon. Middle of our Gym Battle even"_ it answered.

"Alright, I'm done," I said, happy from what I'd just heard. Turning off the Pokedex, I then heard a knock on my door.

"Um, hi. Can I come in?" Nicole timidly said, surprising me. "It's too quiet in my room."

"By all means. I've got a movie on right now. You want to watch it with me?" I told her, secretly praising the timing off the movie I'd picked.

"I'd like that,' She responded, and I then clued in to what she was wearing. Instead of her day out fit, she'd already changed into her pajamas, which were made up of an old t-shirt easily two sizes too big on me and some baggy sweat pants. Her hair, normally allowed to just flow down her back, was tied in a loose ponytail.

As we settled in and continued to watch, Nicole slowly curled up against me while I tried to keep a straight face. Without realizing it, my arm slipped around her. Just going with it, the two of us stayed that way until the movie ended and she went back to her room.

I just wish the day after could have felt as good as when we were together. Of course, like that would have ever happened.

**D'aww. I had to ruin the moment going on there, didn't I? And in the long unexplained lack of evolutions department, we only have to wonder about Turtwig. With Markus. Then there's most of Carly's team and Trevor's Voltorb, Whirlipede and Machop. The active four is part of an explanation about how moves work, from early on.**

**And I'll just let you guys try and digest the iPad joke. Review reply time!**

**Manser77: How wrong can a guy go? Please, enlighten me.**

**Mau5girl: No, Lunar didn't inspire the Drifblim. Sorry.**

**Terra Clearwater: Nicole's new theme is definitely Runaway, and Shut Me Up works for Trevor. Carly... not really that kind of mastermind. She just has more trainer knowledge, and is still the only one of the group who knows how to set up a tent.**

**fanficssuck: Yeah, this chapter isn't quite in the whole add more story vein. Next one is though. I promise. And am I stringing along evolutions too fast? I hinted at Electrike evolving a while ago though, so it's not completely out of place. I'll just leave Turtwig well alone then.**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: 30 chapters. Wow. I thanked you all at 10, and never did anything spectacular for 25, and expect between 50-60 total. How about we see if we can get some fanart by 40?**

**Chapter 30**

"Trevor!" I yelled, trying to wake him up. Already it was almost noon, and he'd been asleep since he slinked back into the room at around three this morning. This night owl approach to sleep he had was going to get us killed.

"Whazzat Natalia?" He moaned, still very much in a slumber. Figures he'd be fantasizing in dreams. In all fairness, it had taken a lot of willpower for me to not have gawked during her routine back in the Toronto contest.

"Wake up sleepyhead," I growled, slamming a pillow across his face. Flying off the bed, Trevor hit the floor with a crash.

"Good, you're awake," I enthused, now that Trevor was coming to. "Time for us to get going. Meet you in the lobby in about fifteen, alright?"

* * *

><p>"Good morning guys!" Trevor cheerfully told us, now in a much better mood.<p>

Dryly gesturing to the clock, Carly replied with fake cheer "Good afternoon."

"Well, sorry. Now, why are we still here? We can go for about six or seven hours easily," Trevor retorted.

The four of us were promptly jolted by the sound of a body being slammed against the doors. Quickly, the random protestor was pulled back by what looked like a riot squad officer. A group of similarly dressed officers then began to fall into a phalanx position, blocking off any from of entry.

"Wait, what's going on?" Trevor asked astounded. Judging by how open his eyes were, I'd have said we'd managed to get his attention.

"The protests got violent about an hour ago. The police received a tip just as the flash mob started to show up. It's been like that for the past two hours easily," I explained to him. "Nobody's been able to get out at all since. You're not the only antsy trainer in here." I then pointed to a group of older trainers, maybe ones that had finished high school who were pacing around.

"They're even worse than you are," I finished.

Suddenly, the television flashed back on, launching straight into the newscast. "Good afternoon," the anchorman began. "I'm Klaus Shadow reporting on the league riots. As of last night, normally peaceful protests across Canada calling for the Pokemon League's end turned horrendously violent. SWAT and riot squads have been mobilized around Gyms and pokemon centers in every major city. We go live to Toronto, where we have Jane Doe on speaker."

The screen then changed to a picture of Jane, as her voice crackled on.

"It's… I can't describe it. They're trying to break into the gym as we speak-" I then heard something that sounded like glass breaking and some hurried calls for attacks before she began again. "Every trainer in the city is taking refuge here, and it's overwhelming. Nobody has the facilities for this. When I agreed to take the job, I knew there was some animosity. But not this," She finished, before the call dropped.

"Thank you Jane," Klaus resumed. "Next up, in studio we have Charles Worthington, who is in support of the protests. Tell me, is this behavior justified?" Klaus asked, before turning to the familiar face.

"Holy crap. It's that suit guy from Fredericton!" Trevor said, summing up my thoughts rather succinctly. As Worthington began to speak, he almost resembled somebody I knew.

"Thank you Klaus. I do not agree with the League's practices myself, however I will admit this is a little far from what I imagined. Of course, if Parliament needs this to listen, by all means," Worthington stated, before the room erupted into resentful fury. "At the same time, my son is competing this year, so I do hold some worry for his safety. I did warn against it, and he knew the risks, but he should be able to care for himself."

Beginning to ignore the television as they began to debate governmental practices, I turned to Carly. "You still know more about training than us. What the hell are we supposed to do in a live fire zone?" I asked her, losing all sense of subtlety.

Pausing, Carly's face drooped. "If it wasn't essential, they cut it from me. I don't know. They never expected it to be this bad."

"Wait, this bad? I'm confused," I pressed, not ready to let the issue drop.

"They taught you how to deal with a single attacker. Not a riot. And, there are some things you can do I can't. I don't have French like you do, for instance," Carly told me, clearly worried. Now this freaked me out, because she'd always been the self assured, dominate one back home, and up until the past couple weeks.

"So, what do we do now exactly?" Trevor offered, a little unsure. I'd never seen either of them like this…

"I don't know," I summarized. I hate when people turn to you, magically expecting the answers. You just can't do anything for them. It's a feeling I hate.

The volume was then turned up on the TV, right before the scariest thing I've ever heard. "Thanks to the newly proposed League Control Bill, all trainers are expected to register themselves and their current teams with any facility that they enter. This means that any pokemon deemed overtly dangerous cannot be kept as a pet, or owned by trainers lacking a certain number of badges. Proof of ID is required at all League challenges. This way trainers will be tracked and regulated much more efficiently."

Boom. No more freedom. We're officially under the government's control.

"Son of a bitch, what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Trevor groaned open endedly.

"Right now? Just go along with it," I answered, moving to join the line.

* * *

><p>"Took long enough for everything to calm down," I said as we left the Pokemon center around five that evening.<p>

"Well yeah, but we can still travel. Saskatoon is actually so far north that this time of year, the sun doesn't set until ten easily. This way we can still cover enough ground to find shelter," Carly explained, reassurting her presence as our field commander.

As we began to march, I couldn't help but to stop and think. Had this been coming from the very beginning? The protests settled down almost completely. And then, what about the restrictions on who could own certain pokemon? I knew a few retired trainers who kept their old teams as pets, would they have to release some of them?

Not exactly the nicest train of thought for a roughly fourteen year old guy to have. On the bright side, it was only a bill. Bills got denied often enough, right?

**Yeah, this is kind of a build up for later events. That, and any attentive reader will have finally put everything together. I hope.**

**And yet, I'm oddly reminded of Pedestal this chapter. Anyone else know that fic? I think everyone who's checked the archive between 2010 and a couple months ago does. Very reviewed and hyped, I just found it okay.**

**Reviews!**

**Terra Clearwater: 30 is a big number for the site. I just realized how long I've spent on this project. I think I'll be done before the end of next year's first semester. Hopefully. And Swellow was always Markus' big gun. Why else would she be so eager to disobey?**

**Ju5t An0th3r H3d63h06: Glad to see you like it. I'm sort of broadening the plot a bit now. Hope it goes over well.**

**mau5girl: Nicole was always meant to be quiet. But yeah, we'll see more of her confident side. The pokedex always gets the good lines, doesn't it?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"Arceus, I need to see some frickin' trees!" Trevor groaned, complaining about the near featureless landscape yet again. As we approached Calgary, I knew that we were to likely travel through the Badlands, even if only for a short bit of time. Even that should have shut him up.

The Badlands, I should explain are full of soil hills, in part due to the constant erosion. This led to most fossil pokemon found being from this area, for rains would often expose them with little to no outside help.

"Relax, we'll get there soon. Then, we'll be in a city. How bad could that be?" I asked him, trying to distract him from another rant. "On second thought, let's take a break and let all of our pokemon out."

Once we'd dismounted our bikes, I began to grasp the six spheres containing my team. Seeing how the three of them were managing on their own, I went to find a quiet place to bring out six fairly large pokemon of my own.

Taking in Hariyama and Manectric's new forms, the team was dazzled with awe, or so I'd like to have thought. Marshtomp immediately tried to pick a fight with the gentle fighting type giant, as if to re-establish a pecking order. Meanwhile, Manectric and Swellow began a sort of stare down, in part because of the electric type's sudden change in demeanor. Gone was his energetic puppy self, and in its place, I now had a sort of "Too cool for you" persona to deal with.

In short, progress from the last time I'd brought everybody out together. At least I wouldn't have to pay for repairs. Right?

"Okay guys," I began in a futile attempt to grab their attention. "Guys," I began again with a subtle increase in volume. Only Turtwig was really watching me, and simply because that was straight ahead from where he stood.

"Sit your asses down now!" I yelled, shocking the six into obedience. "That's better. As you managed to notice, we have two new evolutions since the last time I brought you all out of your pokeballs. I hope we can re-establish normalcy however. Secondly, Marshtomp has been cleared to train with you guys again. Let's go easy on him, alright? Now, how about seeing where everybody's at?" I suggested, before the general chaos began again.

Well so much for that plan.

* * *

><p>Having decided to break the group training into individual training, for mutual general health in all, I focused my attentions on Turtwig.<p>

"Hello?" I asked, waving my hand in front of the turtle's face, greeted with the same unresponsive stare as per usual. Hmmph.

"Is there anybody in there?" I continued, only half joking. I knew that this was normal, but I'd had Turtwig for ages now. This lack of response was seriously annoying to me.

"Guess not then," I sighed, resigned to my fate. Never to communicate with this one outside of a battle. I guess it could be worse. Turtwig could have disobeyed me too.

Taking a moment to blink, he then took a couple steps off to the side. Launching off a Razor Leaf, a fairly large rock-maybe up to my waist and as far around as Hariyama- split in two upon the impact.

"You've... understood what I was saying this whole time?" I stated, now a little confused. I'd just figured the little guy had selective hearing, not like this in the slightest. He'd follow my commands to the letter when in the heat of the moment, but to do so now?

Weird.

Turtwig then went back to just blankly staring at me. Like nothing had happened at all.

* * *

><p>"So, Marshtomp, you ready for this?" I asked, ready to get to work. Pounding his fists together, he enthusiastically called out his response.<p>

"Okay, but don't burn yourself out. Let's see what moves you've got in your back pocket right now, alright?" I said, trying to have the Water and Ground type simmer down. Looking away as I reached for the device, I didn't notice the movement, or the flash of light that came before Charizard's roar.

_"Air. Not a Pokemon. Try again,"_ The device cheekily responded. Looking back at where Marshtomp once stood, I clued in to the development.

"Arceus!" I cursed, before running to stop the outbreak of a fight. Marshtomp was spraying water at the now airborne Charizard, vainly attempting to connect an attack. Fire burning in his eyes, Marshtomp then began to fire off a volley of Mud Shot, one of the spheres landing directly in the eyes of Charizard.

"Oh no," I stated, now in pure shock. As Charizard furiously and haphazardly began spraying flames at all directions, I recalled Marshtomp and instead chose a bulkier opponent to bring down this danger to the… actually kinda barren landscape. Manectric then took a very aggressive stance, poised for action.

"Try to contain a Discharge if you can," I sighed. The normally erratic blast of electrical power instead forked towards the single target, Charizard, in compliance with my orders, though this could have been done without the glare.

Once the attack finished, forcing Charizard to fly off and rest, I grabbed Manectric by the snout and put my own glare directly at the dog's eye level. "You listen, and you listen good. I already have enough trouble causing pokemon, and sure as heck don't need another. Quit this attitude now, and I might decide to not neuter you anyway. Got it?"

I took the wimper as an affirmative.

"Glad we understand one another," I enthused. I'd probably taken a little too much pleasure in that to be healthy. Eh, it was an empty threat.

"What the hell? Markus, why are you picking on Charizard?" Trevor then asked me, storming over and clearly pissed at me.

"I didn't do anything. It was Manectric and Marshtomp. Take it up with them. Besides, you've been pampering Charizard way too much. When was the last time you used Whirlipede or Lombre in a battle?" I countered.

Flabbergasted, Trevor finally found the words to reply. "But, Charizard!"

"Is not a valid argument," I summarized. "Go train that bug of yours. It'll at least give you something to do."

As Trevor began to walk away, I noticed an oddly shaped rock. Dull grey in colour, it was completely flat on one side. On another, a lump in the shape of some bone stood out, with several smaller bumps to compliment it.

I then picked it up and gave it a closer inspection. The thing was heavier than it looked for starters, but the only other prominent features were some scratches. Maybe Professor Pine would want it, I bothered him often enough.

Whatever the hell did he research anyway?

And what were we left with in the long run? Nobody stopped anymore. People now kept a wide berth of any trainer they saw since the bill was proposed. The League wouldn't be canceled in the near future. It brought in too much money.

School seemed really damn attractive right now. Sit in a classroom all day, read about whatever and do a couple algebra problems, much easier than life on the road.

Still, Calgary was within reach. By tonight we'd be there, according to both the map apps and my Town Map. Grass types. Simple and easy to counter on paper. Not so much in theory. All the different status moves for example, or how many of them had the ability to use Poison type attacks. Time to bring Kricketune back to the active roster I guess.

"Hungry?" Nicole asked, startling me out of my chain of thought. "You kind of zoned out there." Holding out a wrap, she had the slightest of smiles on her face.

"Sure," I replied taking a bite. "Why so secretive about the past though? You don't talk much about Chuck or your home. The three of us grew up together. I've known Trevor since First grade after all, and Carly since she was born. You, not so much. Would you mind opening up?"

Nicole hesitated, then gave in with a sigh. "You probably want to know why I agreed to go along with Charles. He was my only way off the reserve. He gave me Tepig as a sort of down payment, and the rest of my team were further gifts for "good behavior". I met you guys and saw a way out of that life I guess. You were really free."

Remaining silent, I noticed there wasn't any meat in the wrap. I mean, there was lettuce, a couple other leafy greens I couldn't name, a bit of cheese and onion slices, but no meat. I'd never seen her actually eat anything but salads or vegetarian pizza in restaurants either. "You're a vegetarian, aren't you?" I interrupted, before Nicole nodded.

"I spent a lot of time playing with this one Miltank when I was really little. I don't want to have been the one who ate her. How badly would you have taken something like that?" she told me.

"Guess that would suck," I said, unable to really go any deeper.

Trevor's cursing snapped us out of our own little world. Groaning I ran over to investigate. "What seems to be the problem?" I asked, with a fairly obvious sigh acting as an accompaniment.

"I just lost to a random kid, whose name I didn't catch, with all the money we had in cash on me," Trevor summed up. "In short, we're broke again."

** Now this chapter is kind of rambly and directionless, but I think it did a lot. It opened up for a little character development, we got to see Markus' team in full version two, Pine will get a Pokemon out of that fossil we'll see later on and there might be an unlikely case of someone putting the clues together.**

** Reply time!**

**Ju5t An0th3r Hed63h06: Well, Nicole could honestly say Kangaskhan is a pet with 4 badges. Obviously, if the Pokemon didn't regularly battle, you'd need fewer badges.**

**fanficssuck: Thanks for the potential art and praise. Yes, Charles Worthington will be the uber bad. And I find that's what my style of writing lends to, the form you've described there.**

**RushedFast: Markus has kind of been the realist perspective. Trevor was his foil, Carly was THEIR foil, Nicole's become a sort of fourth woman to the power trio.**

**Terra Clearwater: Hopefully this is still good. We'll see about summer. I might look at taking extra courses to accelerate myself tbh. That could eat up time. Horribly. And I have plans for Trevor in the lady departmen. You'll see.**

**mau5girl: Meh. You reviewed. That's what I care about. And glad you can relate.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

That took a fair bit of restraining to make sure Carly listened without trying to kill the lot of us. I have to admit, very much a dick move of Trevor. Of course, it's not like Trevor could have passed off the money to one of us without letting that nameless person (Whose gender Trevor couldn't even remember. I'm not sure what the most worrying part of that is) know it was there.

And yet… we probably had upwards of eight grand with us. Most of the contest money had been spent, but Gym leaders pay well. Not including all the other trainers we'd managed to battle.

Of course, we couldn't do shit about it now. We'd just have to keep going.

"Hang on, is this what I think it is?" Nicole muttered, picking a piece of paper off the ground and reading it over. With a little squee, she began to show it to us.

"It's a flyer. For the Calgary Stampede. So?" Trevor stated, already not caring.

"You really need to be more interested in things without Double Ds," I responded, having actually taken an interest in it. "Besides, Calgary's Gym Leader is supposed to take a ceremonial role in the proceedings."

"We're going to the Stampede!" Trevor exclaimed with a newfound enthusiasm.

Carly however, whispered something in his ear as we left. I couldn't really hear it, but I think it was "I'll get you later."

* * *

><p>"So<strong>, <strong>this is the Calgary Stampede," I muttered to myself. Walking the giant midway, I took a look at all the various carnival games, and thought about how rigged they were.

The Milk Can Toss for instance? Has an extra ring of metal within the rims, slimming down the opening. Actually, kind of like the League. I knew what the challenges to qualify there on the surface were, but not so much what would lie within.

Wow. That was deep. Didn't know I had that in me.

Everyone else had gone off to enjoy the various shows and battles. Nicole was actually watching some of the rodeo events, as a sort of reminder of her home life. I'd always been allergic to some of the kinds of pokemon on farms, which is why I wasn't there. Tepig and its evolutions were fine, and so were Ponyta and Rapidash, but Miltank and, the Mareep line? Not so much.

Besides, I had to keep my mind on the real reason for this trip. The Gym Leader was playing host to the event, and to get a battle we'd have to ask personally. Problem is, I'd have nothing to really go by. This Gym didn't get much press. The battles must have been kind of ordinary. No stunts, nothing extreme.

Next to no worries for me. The plan was simple: Most gyms line up three pokemon at most for battles. Kricketune, Swellow, Stunky. All with resists to grass types. No more strategy needed.

Gyms had started to become routine. I knew what I was up against, what I'd have to do, what the odds were- nothing like how it was advertised; Adventure, Excitement, The ultimate test of one's skills and the like.

Guess you can't believe everything that you read, right?

As I continued this sort of melancholy walkabout, I bumped into a man with dyed green hair and a pair of large sunglasses. "Terribly sorry," he muttered, before moving on. I couldn't shake the feeling I'd see him again.

* * *

><p>"Ladies and gentlemen, yes ladies and gentlemen! We are now about to have a Gym leader, yes Gym leader grudge match! First welcome the challenger, yes the challenger, Edmonton's leader Fuego Sparks!" the announcer began in his own annoying vernacular.<p>

Fuego then stepped onto the stage, much to the gathered crowd's displeasure. Taking these boos in stride, he merely turned his fireball-like hairdo towards the other corner. The announcer then began to pick right back up. "And now, Calgary's own, yes Calgary's own, Landon Hillby!"

As the cheers ramped up roughly forty decibels, a familiar face stepped out onto the platform. I almost missed recognizing him without the sunglasses, but I'd bumped into the gym leader. Talk about coincidences. I'm amazed about what keeps happening to me.

"This will be a one on one battle for bragging rights. No money is at stake, the results are not sanctioned as part of your records. Begin!" Their referee announced, beginning the latest chapter of the two cities' intense feud.

Just to give a background into all this commotion, Edmonton and Calgary are intense rivals. First only Hockey and Football in the sporting world, but now pokemon as well. To top it off, it was rumored Feugo had tried to apply for Calgary himself, on the grounds of matching up with the city's NHL team (The Flame Bursts). Landon however, ended up with the job. Once Edmonton threw a tantrum to get its own Gym, Fuego was the first to apply.

I have no idea what kid of idiot thinks that's a good way to plan these things out. Maybe the League designer didn't like hockey.

Heh. A Canadian who doesn't like hockey. Good one.

Of course, by now both of them had pokemon out on the stage, ready to battle. Fuego's I recognized, from its large equestrian body and flaming mane. Anybody could have pegged it as a Rapidash. Landon's however, was a bit harder to place. It was this yellowy green colour, with a bulbous head hanging off a stalk. Said stalk was otherwise completely bare and connected to the base, which had four rock-like stubs protruding from it. I didn't know what to make of the face tentacles or the general face… if you'd call it that yourself though.

"Cradily again this time I see? Trying to neutralize the power of my flames?" Fuego taunted before becoming incredibly serious about the whole thing. "Rapidash, Flare Blitz!"

"Barrier," Landon deflected, casually brushing off the assault. An orange-ish dome made of hexagonal panels surrounded Cradily, and the ball of fire that was now Rapidash could only crash into it. Rapidash then stood back up and shakily dusted itself off before a change in tactics.

Leaping into the air, Cradily countered with a sudden freak sandstorm. Nobody could really see anything at this point, and judging by the skillful direction of the various particles upwards, Cradily was clearly adept at using the attack.

While it didn't make Rapidash miss or stop the attack in mid air, the sandstorm did weaken its eventual hit, and Cradily just ignored that completely.

"That's a lot of defense," I muttered to myself. As tempting as it was to stay and just watch the battle however, I caught a glimpse of one of Chuck's henchmen passing through the crowd. Against my better judgement, I then followed the man as closely as I could.

Weaving around people visiting various attractions found throughout the Stampede, the man kept a steady pace. Pulling out his phone, he began to talk to somebody. I couldn't hear a thing though and when I realized how far I was from where I started, my common sense decided it would be better to turn back.

I'd deal with Chuck another day.

"We have, yes we have a winner! The top, yes top, Alberta Gym Leader is Landon Hillby! This means Calgary has held the title for the past four, yes four years!" The announcer declared over the loudspeaker.

Maybe I shouldn't be so reliant on type advantages. I mean, both of them were using equally matched pokemon, plus the actual level of skill necessary to pull off Landon's rather defense oriented strategy still eluded me.

I mean, up until now I'd been pretty offense focused. My approach to a battle was to go mano to mano with my opponent, or put them on the defense. I'd never had it the other way around. What if I had to fight somebody better at this than me?

Hell, I could already put a name or two with that person. Just in the battles I'd already had, Chuck lived for brutally dominating the competition and Geoffrey didn't even break a sweat after Hariyama surprised everyone. In fact, Geoffrey thought Trevor and I were going to be a joke anyway. Not exactly an inaccurate conclusion, but still!

In short, I had a lot of training ahead of me. Of course, I'm already in Calgary, I could reach Edmonton within a couple days, and even with a couple mountains to scale Vancouver wouldn't be that much of a hike. Three badges within about three weeks, give or take twelve hours.

And then, in typical Trevor fashion, I had a giant wrench thrown into my plan. Rushing up straight through the crowd, right onto the stage, he stole the microphone and began to command the crowd's attention.

"As of now, I Trevor Macullen and my friends Markus and Carly Puttnam challenge you to a battle Landon. We're calling you out!"

Oh Arceus, why did he have to mention my name? Security couldn't just cart him off now for me to pick up later. The only way this could get worse would be if Landon responded.

"I'm here. Name your battle," Landon boldly answered.

Maybe there isn't an Arceus after all…

**Hey guys, I'm going to make this quick. First come exams, so no further writing until the 25-6****th****ish this month. Secondly, I'm a grade 10.63 (Thank you grade 11 Law, Computer Science and Psych in the fall if you want to get specific. In order to accomplish this, I'm picking up my gr.10 Civics/Careers next month. Meaning I technically only have August vacation. July will try to offer more than the rest of the year, but I'm just going to try for… 5 July updates total? Maybe a one shot for Canada Day in there too (No Promises). On a side note, anyone want to draw us a cover?**

**Oh hey, 100 (hopefully) reviews this summer! Nice.**

**Replies!**

**Mau5girl: No kidding. I'd be a 32 year old loser if I aged every update.**

**Ju5t An0th3r H3d63h06: Turtwig's been interesting to write. First, he was going full Torterra, recently stopping at Grotle, now I might keep Turtwig one anyway. I've got plans.**

**Terra Clearwater: We'll meet Trevor's girl later on. You just won't know it. No plans for Carly. The bro code my friends follow states "Thou shalt not date thy bro's sister, yet the cousins and step-sisters are fair game". Carly's revenge will come, don't you worry.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

"Smooth going Trevor, this was real smooth. What do you have planned now exactly?" I asked him, now that we couldn't just back away from this whole encounter.

"We win. It's simple as that. There hasn't been a single gym leader that could take us. I don't think he'll be able to anytime soon," Trevor answered. He did have a point. It was rare for us to lose... at least, in such high profile matches. On the road, we tended to stink.

"Think of the women when we win too!" Trevor continued to exclaim.

"Alright, I don't exactly have the time for this. I can't take all of you on individually, but I can let you all fight me at once. How does that sound?" Landon offered, rather impatiently. "I'll use three of mine against one of yours each."

"Bring it on, Grasshead", Trevor taunted, taking an aggressive stance. Staring Landon down, I realized we were missing somebody kind of important.

"Where's Carly? Don't we need her for this?" I pondered out loud, more than a little confused.

"Oh, darn. I suppose we can't have our battle now, can we?" Landon then began to slowly walk off the stage attempting to return to the crowd. Something about his voice seemed kind of… off. It was flat and dry, lacking any sort of emotion. I'd never seen something like this happen before.

Whenever Gym Leaders went on TV, they were so focused and intent on battling. It was their life, their reason for existence. I'd never thought someone could get tired of it. I needed to take this all in, and definitely think about it all.

* * *

><p>"The hell Markus? What in Arceus' name made you decide we were leaving?" Trevor complained, sitting in the corner of our room back at the Pokémon centre.<p>

"What do you think?" I replied.

"I'm just too awesome for you, aren't I? Can't handle me anymore I take it?" Trevor began to rant.

"No. You need to grow the hell up. You keep dragging us into these types of situations where I have to bail your ass out. You nearly were sued for what you supposedly did with that girl the one night back home. I don't want to be the adult for the repeat," I told him. This managed to shut Trevor up for a moment.

"Would explain the time out…" Trevor murmured.

"Now, why would a Gym Leader stop battling?" I said, changing the subject.

"Well, Landon isn't hated, he doesn't have trouble with his Pokémon, he's never been owned spectacularly, maybe he's just bored," Carly interjected; now standing in the doorway of our room.

"Why would you get bored of doing the thing you love though?" I stated. Then it hit me. "Landon doesn't have anything else to do. Every Gym Leader has their thing outside of battling, but not him- Jacques has his club, Abelard runs a business, Francesca practically operates a charter flight service- but not Landon."

"Yeah, but he really doesn't seem like the type to run a community garden," Trevor snarked.

"So, Landon's just been typecast?" I countered. "We can do something about that. I don't see it being much of a problem to deal with."

"Wait a second. We're going to solve a Gym Leader's mid-life crisis? I'll pass. I've got a Charizard to train," Trevor scoffed, leaving the room. On the way out, he even slammed Carly out of the way.

Screw him. I didn't need him anymore; he still needed me. Trevor would crawl back, and all I'd have to do is give it time.

* * *

><p>"If I were a bored Gym Leader who didn't want to be recognized, where would I hide?" I wondered out loud. For starters, not in a crowd. All Landon had had on was a pair of sunglasses when he was sneaking around the Stampede earlier today, and that wouldn't have done much for the locals. In fact, I could pretty much rule out the Stampede. It would be quiet too, most likely. I mean, I hated loud noises when I was trying to be alone… That I didn't create.<p>

So, where did that leave me? Hipster cafes?

Hang on; Grass type Gym Leader. He wouldn't go someplace industrial to relax. He'd find a place with a lot of trees. I just needed to find the nearest forest. It wouldn't be that hard, right?

Except, this was one of the country's major cities. Forests don't grow down the block. Still, thinking back to hipster cafes, it was the only idea I had.

Stepping into one with some weird music I couldn't recognize playing in the background, I realized I lucked out. Sipping his coffee and reading a newspaper, Landon was acting like nothing was wrong. Pulling up a chair at his table, I waited for him to look up.

"Oh, you. Hi," he stated dryly. "I take it you still want a battle."

"There's that, yeah, but I want to know why you've had this sudden change of heart so that now you hate everything to do with battles," I answered.

"It's boring. You've seen yourself what my style is like. I don't attack directly at all. I just can't be mister aggressive. And with the whole city rivalry thing, I have to battle Fuego over something practically every week. On top of all the kids like you. I'm only able to come here because the staff doesn't really care who I am," he answered with a sigh, before setting his paper down on the table. "You want anything? I've got taxpayer's cash to waste."

"I don't drink coffee," I declined.

"Neither do I. This is green tea," He joked back. "Here, take these." Landon then dropped three badges on the table. "They're the last ones I'm handing out. One for you, your sister and your buddy."

I took a long, hard look at the badge I'd just picked up. Surprisingly, the badge was entirely red instead of a stereotypical greenish tone. Shaped like the leaf on our flag, it felt kinda patriotic just to hold it. Drawing out my breath, I set mine back on the table.

"I'd rather have earned it," I said.

"Alright then… you have any grass types on you? I'll teach it any move you want," Landon suggested, leaning in somewhat while making the offer.

"Yeah… my Turtwig," I sighed.

"Let me guess- You have no idea where the hell you stand with yours?" Landon said. "I can fix that too. If you master the move, I'll give you the badge. I'm still quitting the first opportunity I get, don't get me wrong, but I think you're going to go far. And, I'd lie if I didn't check out your battle videos."

"Wait, videos?" I asked him, somewhat confused.

"Yeah. Every battle in a league facility is recorded and archived. We share around our best battles with one another. Nice thinking with the Thunderpunch back in Winnipeg by the way," Landon complimented. "Now, let's start with this move."

* * *

><p>Standing in the Calgary Gym, I waited for Landon to begin speaking. Turtwig was outside of his Pokeball, taking a nap. A small, grassy clearing made up the battlefield, in a stark contrast to everything else in the building I'd seen.<p>

"Frenzy Plant. Known only to a select few grass Pokémon, one of which is Torterra," Landon lectured, standing beside me. "Let me demonstrate its power."

Landon then called out one of his own Pokémon. The bright pink flower around the yellowy green sauropod's neck put a refreshing scent into the air, and I already felt relaxed. "Meganium here knows the move as well. In fact, if the Pokémon was a traditional starter they can learn these moves themselves. She's also my starter actually. It's been a while since I've used her."

"What for?" I asked.

"She's too strong. People generally don't like Chikorita's evolved forms, but this girl is almost on par with the Elite Four. Now, watch and learn. Meganium, take it away," Landon explained. The ground beneath my feet then began to rumble. Gigantic, thorn covered vines burst upwards, violently lashing out any and everywhere.

Meganium meanwhile, was heavily concentrating. Her eyes were glowing a deep green, and she'd spread her feet as wide as possible to keep her balance. Sweat slowly dripped down her neck until the attack ended and the vines retracted into the ground. Letting out a deep breath, she then slowly trotted off to the side.

"That is awesome," I stated, at a loss for words.

"Now, your Turtwig won't be able to perform the entire attack just yet. It's still way too powerful. What we can work on however is the delivery. If you two start now, you'll handle it way better than this old gal," Landon resumed, patting Meganium on the head. "Right now we need to confirm the bond between the two of you."

"B-bond?" I stammered. Well, this was somewhat of a snag. In truth, did Turtwig and I have a bond? I mean, he'd obey, but that was more out of laziness than anything. And he listened only when he felt like it… Screw it. His opinion was the one that mattered right now.

"Are you ready for this?" I said, turning to Turtwig. The little turtle had woken from his nap, a little more determination on his face than before. With a nod of his head, a glow overtook his body. Now standing a good foot or so taller without the shrubs growing out of his tan shell, the new pokemon had yellow toed feet on full legs instead of stumps.

"Grotle," he bellowed in a far deeper voice than I expected. Smiling, Landon said the fateful words that launched the last few weeks of my journey.

"You are ready to truly begin."

**This is gonna be quick.**

**Mau5girl: I goofed. Mea culpa.**

**Terra Clearwater: Yes, he'll get a proper girl. You'll never have expected who though. We haven't met her.**

**RushedFast: Consider the public battle, averted.**

**1 update down, 4 to go!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"Okay, where the hell is he?" Carly asked, more than a little ticked off. Trevor hadn't shown up at all since dinner last night, and now we were short a man.

"He's got a Charizard now, remember? He can just fly off to wherever he wants, and we have to deal with it. Now let's go. We're probably going to the same place," I replied, more fiercely than I should have.

"Okay, new question. The hell is wrong with you?" Carly barked back at me.

"Nothing is wrong," I defended.

"Bullshit. You've been pissier than usual. And, you're way more assertive than normal. Not in a good way though. It's like you're competing with your Pokémon for control," Carly explained. "Besides, it's Nicole who's really worried."

That threw me for a loop. "Really?" I had to respond.

Rolling her eyes, Carly answered me. "Yes, really. Make your Arceus-damn move already. And if Trevor's not coming, let's go."

* * *

><p>As we rode northward from Calgary, I kept looking up in the sky for signs of a Charizard. I don't know why I was so worried about Trevor; besides the obvious fact he was a man-child in training, because of how he'd behaved. He'd been crass, disrespectful, put women before us, planned on leaving anyway after getting his badges- Why was I friends with this guy?<p>

Maybe because we'd been a lot closer when we were little. He was always the big man on campus, me not so much. But, he'd treat me like I was just as important. It was a nice feeling, and we'd bonded.

Now we were opponents. Nothing more. He'd have a Charizard, Scolipede, Ambipom, Ludicolo, Electrode and Machamp if he evolved everything to its final form. It would be a tough match, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Carly would be trouble too actually. She was potentially packing a Staraptor, Luxray, Venusaur, Chandelure, Feraligatr and Beautifly. Well, no. Carly wouldn't use that… thing of hers in a battle. With all the insistence that ghost was cute, Carly wasn't training it into the psycho life-force sucker that was Chandelure anytime soon.

Meaning she'd try and catch something else.

And she'd have a whole month thereabouts more than me to do it.

Huh.

As we pulled into the clearing to take an afternoon rest, I clued in to the fact we hadn't seen anybody else for, well, hours. Maybe Edmonton wasn't so in demand this time of year or something. Anyone on the western side of Canada would have visited it already. It was just those more from the east going there. We'd been ahead of the rush for a while now, right?

As Nicole sat down, she let out Tepig and began to pet the little guy. Walking over to her, I sat down beside her, just silent momentarily. I'd known her this long, and couldn't hold a conversation with her.

Well, go with what you know: the first thing that pops into your head.

"Zapdos is clearly the thunderbird, but what legend does Articuno represent?" I asked her.

"Articuno's the tricky one. It's an aspect of the Raven, found in the far north. It appears in the cold of the night to lead freezing travelers," She began to explain before stopping. Drawing in a breath, it seemed almost like she didn't want to finish.

"You're leaving something out," I observed.

"Yeah. The tricky part. It either leads the travelers to safety, or certain death. It depends on who you talk too," she finished with a sigh. Bowing her head, she then took a sip from one of our water bottles before going back to her silence.

"Is there something between us?" I blurted out. Nicole's normally pale face turned a crimson red at this, while I covered my mouth. Hell of a way to tell her man, hell of a way to tell her. I needed to save myself fast. "I-I don't mind either way, but I'd kind of hoped there was."

Still blushing, Nicole studied her hiking boots like they suddenly were the most interesting thing in the world. I couldn't hear her reply even though we were right beside one another she'd gotten so quiet.

"Beg pardon?" I prompted, desperate for the answer.

"I think there might be. Should there be?" she responded.

"I'd like there to be. What should we do now?" I answered.

"Well, are we dating or something?" I stated, exasperated. This was way more frustrating than I thought it was going to be.

"Yes. Let's say we are," Nicole confirmed.

"Alright then. I need to step away for a moment," I said excusing myself.

Once I was sure Nicole had fallen out of earshot, I had to let it out. "Yes!" I screamed in excitement, practically jumping for joy as I did so. Victory. Pure and glorious victory.

* * *

><p>"You know what's funny Carly?" I asked her as we approached Edmonton. "This whole time we haven't had a battle."<p>

Carly stopped at this in the middle of her stride. As she began to mull it over in her head while Nicole and I carried on, she slowly dragged behind. After this continued for a short period of time, I suddenly got yanked backwards while Carly held onto my hood.

"Four on Four singles. Substitution is fair game," Carly stated in a rapid fire fashion while continuing to forcibly pull me over to the nearest patch of uninterrupted flat ground. Finally letting go of me, Carly then put a fair amount of distance between us, understandably due to the fact we were both packing some really large Pokémon. With a wave of her hand, Carly motioned for me to make the first move.

Weighing over my options, I grasped a couple of my Pokémon before my final decision. "Stunky, come on out!" As the flash quickly ended, the Dark and Poison type sudden burst into a cold sweat and all the while nervously fidgeting. I must have shocked her out of a nap or something.

Carly then responded with a large, blue and black feline. Its jagged mane was unusually prominent for its species and its yellowy eyes almost gazed into my soul. A frickin' Luxray. Way to play fair Carly, way to play fair.

"Stunky, you can do this! All you need to do is strike the thing as hard as possible while it's not-" I began to explain, before Luxray began to pounce. As the Electric type's fangs began to come to life with an electric charge, Stunky went for her instinctive panic button- Haze.

Covering the field with smoke, I couldn't see a thing. And that would normally be good, because then Carly and Luxray would be in trouble. Except, Luxray could see things. It was crazy how much wasn't hidden from them- natural x-ray vision, 20/20 sight even when it was almost too dark for anything- and Carly's was out for blood.

With a ferocious growl, Luxray easily tracked down Stunky, and as the smoke cleared managed to clamp down on the poor girl. Shaking around its head violently, while still sending huge amounts of electricity through Stunky's veins, all I could do was helplessly watch the proceedings.

Finally thrown from Luxray's grasp, Stunky skidded across the ground, barely conscious. Now that I was good and panicky, I ran to make sure I hadn't gotten another one of my Pokémon seriously injured. Clasping Stunky, I saw the helplessness burning across her face. Calling her back, I returned to where I began the battle. It was on.

I began to reach for Marshtomp, and then had my doubts. While mostly recovered, he couldn't handle a fight like this. I'd have to go to a big gun. I held onto Hariyama, then thought better of it. I needed to keep Luxray at bay, and Hariyama couldn't do that.

"Manectric, I choose you!" I snarled. The canine took an aggressive stance of his own, and with a simple nod of my head, he knew what he had to do: Sic'em.

The two collided as they lunged at one another, Luxray slightly outpacing Manectric as they did so. Trying to crunch down hard with the same electrical bite as before, Manectric immediately began to perk up, empowered by the voltage now in his fur.

"Signal Beam!" I ordered, and the psychedelic blast hit Luxray squarely in the face. The lion recoiled, losing precious ground while Manectric continued to march onward. Time for a new attack to take the stage, and Carly wasn't expecting this one anytime soon, I could guarantee it.

"Switch to Flamethrower!" I called out, and the previous attack quickly changed into a gushing inferno forcing Luxray back even further. A look of surprise crossed Carly's face, hardening the minute Luxray started to stagger.

Luxray ran forward in a last ditch offensive at this point, tail turning into the texture of sheet metal. Venom oozing from its glare, Luxray itself wanted more blood than Carly. Very much a scary thought.

As Manectric own tail turned into the same metallic structure, the two swung their bodies to meet one another mid attack. Both of them continued to push at one another, until finally Luxray gave out, unable to keep going.

As Luxray was being recalled, I took the time to stop and watch out for Manectric's wellbeing. Panting heavily, the dog made all the motions for wanting to continue. However, sweat dripped along his sleek, angular crescent and I could almost see the wobble in his step.

"Come back for a rest. I'll bring you out again later," I told the Electric type. A twinge of rebellion appeared along the dog's face, but quickly faded.

Vanishing into a red glow, both sides of the field were empty once again. Reaching for Pokémon number 3, I braced myself for the next surge of the battle.

**Wow. 100 reviews. Thanks guys. I feel honoured. How about we see if we can hit 200? That would be huge, but possible. Thanks to noshadowone for the big 100, especially as a new reader. And now I've got a lot of replies to take care of. New Poll Too guys!**

**Mau5girl: Trevor's actually the combination of 4 different friends of mine, potentially five. So it is somewhat from experience.**

**noshadowone: Okay, I'll answer everything up until this point you've put in your reviews. Firstly, I wouldn't take a helicopter to a Legendary Pokemon A) for the political backlash as the birds have standing with the native peoples in Canon and B) to avoid some sort of Pokemon riot. Trevor's disappearance is part of his development arc. He'll be back, potentially for the better- although he's had his moments (see chapters 16 and 25) of being the voice of reason, so it's not like he has as far to go as everyone thinks.**

**Manser77: I do too; I'm just sharing a world sentiment of the story.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

"Hariyama!" my fighting type called, trying to be intimidating. At first I couldn't see beyond his white torso, but then he bent down, foot slammed forward as a sort of scare tactic, and I inwardly groaned.

Carly had let out her Staraptor, and the bird was trying to assert its dominance with equal vigor. While Hariyama had gone for a more "What now?" approach however, Staraptor's spread wings and triumphant shrill were more in the vein of trying to seem majestic. Which it was sadly accomplishing.

In short, the battle had already spiraled even more out of my favour. Well, there were still a couple advantages that I could press. I mean, Hariyama did know Thunderpunch, and I was pretty sure Staraptor didn't know any ranged attacks. I- no, we- could still pull this off.

"Staraptor, Brave Bird!" Carly called out, and the Flying Type dove into the battle at full speed. Closing the gap between the two Pokémon, I could see the wind warp around the bird, almost as testament to its power. Steady now, this battle had to go the way I needed…

Instead of waiting for me cue, Hariyama took matters into his own hands. Spitting out a deluge of water, Staraptor was redirected in the middle of its flight, but not deterred in the slightest. As Staraptor came back for another pass, I was shocked to see that Hariyama's attack had done next to no damage. I mean, even I didn't know Hariyama could do that, but the big guy's strength was his ability to through his weight around. Not blast water.

Hang on- was Staraptor sagging? Its feathers did look a little damp… maybe that could be used to our advantage.

Carly however picked up on this little detail herself. Adjusting to this realization, she changed her course of action. "Dry yourself off with Heat Wave!" Cascading orange energy that emanated this intense heat then gusted out from Staraptor's breast while the bird flapped its wings. Like Hariyama's new attack however, it did little damage at all, but Staraptor continued to fly normally from this point onward.

Well, this was going to end quickly. The familiar electric crackle gathered in Hariyama's clenched fist, ready to take the necessary swing. Staraptor came closer and closer, almost intensifying the magnitude of its own attack as the bird came closer to Hariyama's range. Hariyama's fist went flying back in response, and there was almost a sort of boom as the two Pokémon collided.

Waiting for the dust to settle, I was incredibly nervous about what was going to happen. Did Staraptor go down? Would Hariyama be able to continue? I mean, he had to. It was the only way I'd be the winner. Well, that we'd win. It was the Pokémon who did the heavy lifting in a battle. That was a truth you acknowledged as you continued to train, but I still wasn't sure whether or not Trevor had gotten that through his skull.

Maybe that was why he was so eager to leave. He wanted power, fame and glory. Sure, the best trainers had that, but they were always congratulating their Pokémon, saying that they never did any of the work themselves.

Certainly not how Trevor saw it.

Now that I was in the clear, Staraptor laid spread along the ground, unconscious. Hariyama was panting in his own right, winded by the ordeal. It would be his call on if he continued.

"Are you sure you want to keep going there big guy? I can still bring someone else in if you want," I asked the fighting type, who turned to give me his response.

"Hari-Yama!" he exuberantly called out. Flashing me a grin and a thumbs up as best as he could, I had to smile right back.

"Alright then. Let's go two for two, okay?" I prompted, as we turned to face Carly's own third Pokémon. Glaring at me with rather malicious intent, I gulped at the sight of that Beautifly. That thing had tried to kill me way back when we were heading towards Quebec. I'm pretty sure it once impaled a Pidgey on that proboscis. It knew Shadow Ball without being one of them. It was evil.

Besides, Beautifly was a ranged attacker. Hariyama wasn't. I'd have to go for Pokémon number 4 now anyway. Unless… stupid Pokedex orientation. Why did you have to have happened so long ago? I mean, there were other things it could do besides read off bland flavour text and a Pokémon's active attacks. I just couldn't remember whether or not determining a Pokémon's condition was one of them.

However, I didn't exactly have the chance to think. Hariyama was already being lifted well into the air, suspended by a light blue glow. Pointless kicking his feet around, Hariyama was in a panic. As the fighting type was slowly dragged above me, the shadow starting to become even more ominous, I made the call.

"Hariyama, return," I sighed, and the red glow of the Pokeball made the shadow suddenly disappear, much to Beautifly's chagrin. I now had to make this count even more than before. Sliding my hand over my remaining options, I paused over Swellow, then Manectric. Both would be nice choices, but each one would bring its own issues.

Swellow would lock out the option to bring out any more Pokémon. Not something I really wanted to do, but I might not have another option. On the other hand, Manectric was almost done. That Beautifly was ruthless. I might not have any other option really. Besides, what did she have left that she could use? Totodile or its evolutions, Bulbasaur or likewise and Litwick. By withholding my last Pokémon for that next little bit, I'd have a counter available.

Manectric it was.

As the canine returned to the field, he was still fairly beat up. I could see a couple marks along his body still, and knew it would be tight.

Of course, it's not like I had no tricks of my own.

"Flamethrower," I said, a smirk crossing my face. Carly's face contorted into visible shock, having only remembered that I had the attack now. All the better for me.

Beautifly was immediately charred, the intense heat flashing across its floating body from Manectric's maw. Flames licked across, and Beautifly began to fly erratically, barely slipping out of the attack's range.

Now enraged, Beautifly countered with Silver Wind, not waiting for Carly to issue orders. Glowing gusts of wind spurted from Beautifly, kicking up a tarnishing layer of dust as they flew. Manectric was blown backwards, hitting the ground unconscious.

"Good job boy. You did well," I said, congratulating the Electric type's Pokeball.

Struggling to stay afloat, Beautifly continued to glare menacingly at me. Guess I had to bring Hariyama out if I wanted to stay in this match.

"Hari-Yama!" The fighting type called out, eyeing his opponent warily. As much as Beautifly probably couldn't get away, I didn't think Hariyama's swinging fists or palms would be able to catch it. Of course, I did still have one option.

"Do the spit attack from before!" I shouted. Hariyama looked at me, confused by this before it clicked to him and he complied. Instead of the tiny burst from before however, out came a gushing torrent of water. Beautifly was knocked back into a full 360 degree spin, before hitting the ground, unconscious.

"Well, that was easy," I remarked, a little surprised by how quickly that had gone. Of course, the predictable choice for pokemon number four was Bulbasaur or one of its forms because of its ability to use Sleep Powder- and ending another fight quickly. Which meant speed would be of the essence. Which meant Swellow. Which meant Carly wouldn't pick Bulbasaur/one of its forms.

Maybe I was overthinking this a little.

Nah.

Carly however, did send out a screwball of her own. She'd never let any of us see her team, so I'd always assumed she'd almost evolved everybody the way Trevor and I had to their final forms. However, in its diminutive, light blue coloured stature stood Totodile, teeth bared in an enthusiastic display of excitement.

Hariyama easily outweighed the thing by a good seven hundred pounds. This would be over before it started.

"Hariyama, just wack it," I dismissed. Easy win.

Or not. Attempting to squash the tiny crocodile with its open palm, Hariyama slammed his fist down. And missed. And missed again. And still continued to miss, for Totodile was hopping around where the hands kept landing.

Hariyama finally backed off from exhaustion, and Totodile slammed him in the face with a Slash attack, knocking the fighting type on his backside. Flailing his feet in the air, Hariyama struggled to get back up.

"Spit at it!" I yelled desperate for the battle to end, preferably now and in my favour. The weak water jet was just ignored by the Water Type, and I had had enough.

Now thoroughly exhausted, Hariyama just stopped fighting back, almost unconscious. Finished off with a glowing white bite- Ice Fang, Hariyama finally fainted, swirls across his eyes.

"No complaints here buddy. Great job," I said, now that Hariyama had been recalled. This was it though, I had only one chance, and Totodile was in peak condition. Of course, I only had one option too, with Stunky out cold.

After all, Carly would not have let it forget a ranged attack, ruling out Swellow and Grotle wasn't nearly fast enough to avoid that Ice Fang. Heck, its speed and size was probably the reason Carly chose Totodile in the first place…

Just frickin' perfect. Marshtomp had had a couple practice battles, but a full on fight? Well, only one way to find out.

"You're on Marshtomp! Make me proud!" I called out, releasing my own starter. Marshtomp pounded his fists together, then took on a fighting stance.

Before either of us could call out attacks however, the two pokemon began their own hand to hand duel. Marshtomp blocked attack after attack with his arms, deftly moving to take as little damage as possible while Totodile used its own speed and jumping ability to attack from angles I didn't even knew existed. Finally distancing themselves after the round, both took on a very focused, determined glare.

Despite Marshtomp not having any Fire Type blood in him, he was burning with the same intensity. We had to win.

"Dragon Claw Totodile!" Carly shouted, before the crocodilian shot forward, outstretched hand glowing white. Ducking under the attack, Marshtomp proceeded to counter with a burst of Mud Shot, brown orbs of wet dirt throwing the smaller Water Type off course and well into the air.

Landing with a thud, I took over once again. "Marshtomp, Water Gun!"

The jet of water began to proceed towards Totodile, who countered with the same attack. I couldn't tell who was winning this mini struggle at all, for there was no movement in the colliding area, no distress across either one's face.

Time to change tactics.

"Marshtomp, Ice Beam!" I called out. Obeying immediately, Marshtomp's own attack changed from a soaking gush into a freezing, cool blue energy. Gaining momentum as it froze much of Totodile's own attack, when it finally reached Totodile's end, the large mass of ice was like a rock hard fist, hitting with a satisfying smack.

Totodile faltered for a moment, taking a few more defiant steps forward before it finally collapsed.

Victory.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sir, we have the Sapphire. We are tracking the location of Articuno as I speak, and we hope to have the bird within the next seventy-two hours," a lackey reported over video call.<em>

_Mr. Worthington smiled at this, a rare thing. To top it off, his own secret plans were working. Toronto had all but revolted against the training population, and in Quebec separatists had taken up his cause._

_Only a matter of time._

**So, how do you guys like this one? That last battle scene was intense, and I did almost give the thing to Carly… but, Markus needed the win to me. And it was a close one, you must admit. Yes, Hariyama can use a water attack of that persuasion: Brine. Check yourself.**

**More of the baddie. Surprised nobody has pieced together CENSORED. Like I'm going to give that away. **

**I wanted to say something else, but forgot. So; replies!**

**Mau5girl: The scene was supposed to be really awkward, but I understand why you're finding fault in it. I think it could have been done a little better, but I'm going to go back and improve things after the Epilogue comes out. I'll fix it then.**

**fanficssuck: Carry on Mr. Hat and clogs. I appreciate what you've done, and am always welcoming criticism. I'd block Manser, but don't know how...**

**RushedFast: Yeah, I like to leave little cliffhangers. Keeps you guys reading. Sorry Carly didn't win, but it's going to be a character thing. The same with Trevor's leaving. It's all heading into that Eplilogue. Which is still about 2 proper story arcs away. Maybe 3...**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

"Hey Carly, what's with Totodile?" I asked out loud now we'd entered a pokemon centre. Nicole was leaning on me as we walked, my arm around her, and it was all I could do to not jump around like a giddy elf. Hence the conversation.

"Pokemon don't have to evolve you know. There are cases of the strongest trainers to ever take up the profession using pokemon which hadn't reached their final form. Geoffrey even has a Zweilous still," Carly explained.

"Yes, but there exists at least one documented case of an evolution like that taking over twenty years to happen. I'm not surprised. But, you've had Totodile for far longer than it would take for one to evolve into a Feraligatr. So what gives?" I continued.

Carly however, was pissed off by that remark. "Some pokemon decide themselves not to evolve too. Have you even considered that about any of yours? You seem to care about them so much now after all," she retorted. She'd wanted to hit a nerve with that last shot, and quite frankly accomplished said task with flying colours.

Breaking the silence, Nicole then spoke up. "So Markus, who're you going to use against Fuego?"

"Marshtomp for sure. I have a feeling he's ready. Hariyama seems like another good choice too. No idea about who to use for a number three or four though," I answered.

"Pfft. You're sure about Marshtomp? That was a fluke against Totodile. He's not nearly strong enough," Carly snarked.

Realizing the entire trainer population of the building had gathered in front of the TV, I stopped and directed the girls' attention to the newscast.

"Good Evening. I'm Taila Whippa reporting for CTV Edmonton. Earlier today, Parliament Hill received a message addressed to the MPs. While we aren't able to show the message itself, the anonymous senders claimed to have Moltres. Despite the fact the entire event was deemed a hoax, a nationwide tip hotline is running for any who have information. Now in other news tonight," The young anchor trailed off while the centre went into a full on outrage. I was only able to catch little snippets of the various conversations.

"What bullshit." "Are they trying to get the League cancelled?" "What if they're actually telling the truth?" "Yeah right, no such thing as Moltres."

The Carly and I shared a glance. The people on the other end of the recording were serious. And the government clearly wasn't taking a chance- Why else would they have the hotline. Nobody had to say it, but the silent nods were all we needed.

Talk, and face punishment. The world didn't need another wave of hunters for the birds, and the government didn't need an even bigger scandal.

* * *

><p>"Hey Markus? Can I talk to you?" Nicole asked me as we made a supply run. I stopped, unsure of where this was going. Were we having a fight less than a day into things?<p>

"Um, yeah. What's the problem?" I answered, no worried for my dignity. We had to have stopped at the corner store directly beside the pokemon centre, which happened to be filled with people doing the same. If we did fight, it would be quite the scene.

"I know I'm really quiet most of the time, and I don't talk much, but I have to speak up about this," Nicole began, letting out a breath. "Am I a sidenote to you?"

Where in the world did she get that idea? That wasn't the case at all. I thought I'd done enough already to prove that. Was there some unwritten rule that I had to prove myself all over again?

"No, you're not. I'm sorry that I've made you feel like you were. Just give me a chance to prove it," I answered, trying not to sound like some sort of machine.

I didn't quite catch what Nicole whispered, something about hearing and before, but I did hear what followed quickly after. "Alright then. How?"

Well, here went absolutely nothing. Leaning in, I just hoped that it didn't look as awkward as it felt, but isn't everybody's first kiss like that?

* * *

><p>"Well, Fuego's clearly modest," I sarcastically quipped, now that we'd managed to arrive at the gym. While most Gym exteriors were fairly sedated for what they were, Fuego and Kristoff were apparently the exceptions. I mean, the gym exterior had several jets of open flame resting upon the surface of it, metal concert pyrotechnics style.<p>

Next, the door motif. Rather than settle for standard sliding doors like everyone else, Fuego had what was basically a gate into hell that flew open when we stepped in front of it, allowing the searing heat to blow in front of us.

Taking the now highly cautious first steps inside, more bursts of flame and orange lighting in decorated the otherwise normal reception area. At least it was an improvement.

After taking our names and badge cases, we were instantly ushered into the gym's arena. Suspended over an open flame, the arena itself was maybe fifteen centimetres from where the flames lapped at the bottom to where I stood at most, and I really didn't like the look of those chains. Fuego stood there, proud and triumphant, like he'd been waiting for us all day.

"So, you finally come? After beating that buffoon Landon no less? If you thought he was a challenge, then leave before you waste this one chance at my badge," he taunted, the flames giving his smirk a sort of menacing quality.

Speaking up, I almost wished I hadn't. "Technically, my sister and I didn't beat Landon. And we're the only ones here for a battle." Gesturing to Carly as I made this point, I hoped the man wouldn't overreact.

"What! You show me such disrespect? I fart in your general direction. You will be of no great difficulty for a battler of my caliber!" Fuego shouted at us. When did he start speaking like such a Spaniard? I could've sworn this wasn't the case at the Calgary Stampede.

"Look, we just want to have our battles and be on with our lives. Is that so much to ask?" I queried, already regretting my decision to come here.

Fuego snorted, clearly displeased with our presence. "Very well. You have six badges boy? You will not give me any trouble. Use three of yours. I will only need one of mine."

That should have been my first warning that I was in trouble. I just thought it was more bland cockiness from him though, so I went along with it. My best bet was to save Marshtomp, as his typing would come in handy. I didn't think I could use Hariyama though with the platform's construction. It supported me and him fine, and probably a couple of two hundred pound-ish pokemon, but Hariyama clocked in at over seven hundred pounds- very much a whole new weight class.

With the ferocity in her cry, you would have thought Swellow was still wild. While giving me a pointed stare, our training together had made it so she'd cooperate. As long as I let her do most of the work.

"Pesky bird. Allow me to introduce to you, my lord of the flame himself, Rapidash!" Fuego called out, rolling the R. I recognized it as the one from the exhibition battle, and relaxed myself on the fact Landon had beat it fighting defensively.

Of course, I didn't fight defensively. And it had been Landon's job to battle everyone. Two things of which I wasn't fully. This was off to one hell of a start.

"Burn the bird to the ground, Flare Blitz!" Fuego commanded, as the horse charged forward. Engulfed in flame and moving at speeds where I couldn't blink, Rapidash made contact with Swellow. Crying out once again, this time in pain, Swellow was knocked to the ground. Reddish markings along her underbelly suggested that she was burned.

Perfect. Time for Guts to activate. "Swellow, use Return!" I called out, and Swellow pushed herself back into the air. Striking back with equal force, Rapidash faltered on his hooves momentarily, before slamming Swellow with a glowing white horn. Now down for the count, I had to recall Swellow.

Well, this was just perfect. Already I'd lost one of my pokemon. Fuego wasn't being _too_ cocky after all. I was in fact in deep shit. Marshtomp was coming out as of now. And this fight was going to be over.

**Agh, short chapter, yeah, but this was the best place to end it. And only 1 (proper) review? Where'd everybody go?**

***sigh* Anywho, yeah the movests that Markus' team have are pretty surprising. It's really just for variety and versatility. In the games, a set like Close Combat/Focus Punch/Thunderpunch/Heavy Slam for example is unstoppable. In practive however, it would be easily worked around. Hence why Haariyama has brine instead of the last attack.**

**Mau5girl: Yeah, I was going for the awkward. I hope the intermitten scene of (What are those two again? There was once a name for them) helped improve where they stand with one another to you. And, the story will see some rising action. I thought I'd sort of started that here and the last chapter, but I'll add more excitement.**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Marshtomp!" my starter called out. Fuego's Rapidash dwarfed him, but Marshtomp didn't seem to be intimidated at all.

And then the flashbacks started. I flinched, remembering how it had felt to watch Marshtomp slide along the floor of the Winnipeg gym. I didn't think he was going to get up. And truth be told, I still blamed myself. It had been indirectly my fault. I hadn't given him the attention he deserved. If he was going to be hurt again…

"Challenger! I await your next attack. This must proceed more quickly," Fuego prompted. He wanted this to be over with quick, huh? I could do quick. Wouldn't be hard at all.

"Marshtomp, Mud Shot!" I shouted, expecting the balls of mud to be enough. Instead, in mid-flight they began to dry out and by the time they would have hit Rapidash, they were just harmless dirt. Not that it would have mattered. The stupid unicorn had moved out of the way, far faster than I had expected. How was I supposed to beat an opponent I couldn't see?

Marshtomp was caught equally off guard in the same moment. Bursting forward, the Fire Type only had to kick out one of its hooves as it passed by. My combatant in this fight was knocked back in my direction, hitting the wall by the stands.

More flash backs. The sound of that crack Marshtomp had made. The heap he was in. And most prominently, the fear. That I'd failed on such a large scale, one of my Pokémon had died. It was possible after all, just because something rarely happens, doesn't mean it won't.

"Marshtomp, return. I'm pulling you out of the battle," I said, quivering with the last statement. I just couldn't place my finger on the problem. Against Carly I'd been fine. Against other random trainers too. But not Gym Leaders.

Now, there was no way Grotle or Stunky would be able to keep up, speed and power wise respectively. Hariyama was far too heavy, and Swellow was already out cold. That left me with Manectric. He'd be able to do this.

"By my order, this battle shall end. No more will you have a shot at the Pyre badge. Please, leave and let your sister take a proper shot at this," Fuego commanded, motioning for the referee to make the call.

"I declare Fuego Sparks to be the winner!" he called out.

I'd… lost. I'd honestly lost a battle that meant something. I thought it would never happen to me. It never happens to anyone important.

* * *

><p>"Quit rubbing it in Carly. I know what that badge means," I groaned, in the solace of the Pokémon Center. "Besides, the badge looks stupid."<p>

It did. It was basically a campfire, with a little pile of burning wood underneath. How dramatic, considering the big deal Fuego had made about his gym. Who designed these things anyway? It was like some of these designs were made up on the spot.

"What are you going to do now though? Vancouver's only about a week away, but then you'd have to go all the way back to Halifax," Nicole began, trailing off as she did so.

"I noticed. Congrats on your eighth badge Carly anyway," I sighed. I wouldn't have anytime to really train if I even managed to pull off the huge task of collecting my last two badges anyway. And I wasn't some sort of returning competitor on this level. It was almost the middle of August. The League began at the beginning of October. 6 weeks, give or take. In that time, I needed two badges and as much time as possible to prep for my first few matches.

The odds were against me after all. Estimates showed roughly twenty-five thousand projected entrants from Canada alone this year, plus several hundred international competitors. Even ignoring the fact only one or two percent of the initial entrants ever followed through with their attempts at the Championship… That was still about three hundred people, all likely more experienced than me.

This train of thought was depressing. Getting up, I mumbled "Going for some air," to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>So how did I become so unhinged? It wasn't exactly expected, but losing one's edge rarely is. One day, you're king of the world, the next you're nothing.<p>

Pulling up my belt, I looked at the Main Six I'd put together. Marshtomp, very much willing to do anything for me. Grotle, a stoic powerhouse. Swellow, who while "hating" me, had managed to build up a rather high powered Return. Manectric, who only acknowledged my authority. Hariyama, a gentle giant despite his physical prowess. And finally Stunky, who although petrified at the thought of taking on a bigger opponent, was willing to try if I gave her a push.

Despite all the little trials we'd been through, we were still growing. Hell, I knew about the biggest shitstorm the country could potentially see, and we hadn't been able to do much against that.

Stopping myself mid-walk, I realized I was lost. The Pokemon Center I'd been at was nowhere to be seen, none of the shops looked quite right. Heck, there wasn't even a spitfire from the gym in the sky.

Cue the inevitable pit in my stomach. As my luck would have it, this part of town looked kind of shady… Now, how did I get here in the first place?

I reached for my bag, but remembered that was back in the room. Not a big deal normally, but it held my Town Map. With it, I'd be out of here in a flash. Then again, those things were expensive. I'd be mugged right after I pulled it out. I guess that wasn't all bad then. It gave me time to think.

"Here to give me an apology?" a familiar voice behind me asked.

"No, to clear my head. Hi Trevor. I take it you beat Fuego already?" I sighed. Turning around, I saw the smug grin plastered on his face.

"Yup. All eight. Just waiting for October. I'm actually surprised you didn't win. Fuego was easy," Trevor replied, dusting off his fingernails. Directing his attention back at me, Trevor posed his own question "What happened in there?"

"I choked. Swellow went down in one hit, I couldn't go with Hariyama because of how thin the platform was, and the instant I brought Marshtomp out, I couldn't shake Winnipeg from my head," I answered.

"Ah. You know what your problem is Markus? You don't always have resolve. When a battle's casual, that's different, but when it counts? You have to want to win. You need to focus. You got too caught up in Marshtomp to do either," Trevor said, pointing his finger. It wasn't everyday Trevor was taking the moral high ground with me, so there was no doubt Trevor was enjoying this more than he should.

"So, what does that make of you then, exactly? You never take anything seriously," I countered. I could feel anger start to build up in me, the way Trevor was lording himself over me. However, I'd hit a nerve with him myself, and his narrowed eyes showed it.

"I've always wanted to win. To be the champ, you have to. And if I'm going to do that, why not put on a show and get the girl? It's something you've never understood, so go back to your books and leave the pros to do their shit," Trevor explained, walking off after he finished. After he'd gotten a block or so away, and to add insult to injury, Trevor made a rather obscene hand gesture.

Did he have a point? Was I not putting everything I could into my battles? I mean, I'd have to go over all the times I fought against him.

Our first battle- Total fluke loss. Taillow as highly disobedient back then, and even more difficult thanks to my lack of experience.

The next time we battled… I think was on the train back from Halifax. Double battle. Not exactly a time to assess one's individual skill.

Our third match? I won that fair and square. Trevor was certainly one to talk about this sort of thing.

But, I had to give on one thing- I needed to become more serious. It was the only way I stood a chance, considering I had a lot of hiking to do.

* * *

><p>"So, you're going back home to mom?" I asked Carly, having finally made my way back that evening.<p>

"Yeah," Carly replied with a nod. "We've been gone way too long, there's just no reason for me to stay, and I can't stand you anymore."

"Love you too," I replied. "When do you leave?"

Carly paused for a second, then answered, more than a little sad all of a sudden. "I bought a plane ticket with my share of the cash…" she trailed off, almost starting to regret the whole thing.

"Okay, so?" I prompted.

"It's insanely early. The flight's a couple hours, and with the timezones adding a couple hours I'll be home by this time tomorrow. This is the last time we'll be together for a while," Carly finished.

"Alright. I get that. You want to say goodbye to us now," I concluded. Pulling Carly into a hug, we had our last little moment for what ended up being a fairly long time.

"So, where to now? Yellowknife?' Carly said, sort of as an open ended thought.

A gym? In the Northwest Territories? Only one way I knew how to respond to THAT.

"Beg pardon?"

**So, who saw that coming? Anybody? And I still feel that you people are leaving me hanging... I get your hits, a review towards the end would be nice.**

**Eh, replies.**

**Mau5girl: We've pretty much been over your entire review in PM, so not much to say here.**

**RushedFast: Eh, there's more to the plot coming up. I guess this does follow the games a fair bit though. The League is more of the anime though, in practice.**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Now, before I start into my little rant, I should probably provide a little bit of an explanation. As logic dictates, locations farther away from the equator are colder. Most of Canada is pretty far away, but we experience summer temperatures of our own, so it's not as big of a problem, right?

Couldn't be any more wrong this far North. My hoodie, which was in fact almost too warm when we started our own little trek, was now unable to keep me from feeling a slight chill. Edmonton had been unseasonably warm, and that just threw me off even more.

And, my traveling companions had certainly changed. Gone were Carly and Trevor, to have been replaced with Nicole, much better equipped for this weather. She'd had the foresight to pick up a jacket our second time through Toronto. I wished I'd planned for this. My shoes weren't doing nearly a good enough job of keeping my feet warm, the winds blowing in my face weren't helping the fact I needed a better jacket, and I was miserable.

I kinda wished I could go back. Unfortunately, the League had this little clause where if a Gym Leader deems a challenger unfit for a rematch, they were locked out for a certain time frame. Too long of a time frame. I could go to Vancouver and back in that time frame. On foot. Backwards. I was not waiting a month each way when I could do the final two badges in about five weeks.

In fact all this cold, desolate silence was giving me too much time to do the one thing I didn't need to do- Think. Every single challenge I'd faced so far had crossed my mind, every struggle, every triumph. And now here I was, going where very few non-ancestral people cared to tread. Signaling to Nicole we needed to stop, now forced to walk because of our bikes weren't meant for this kind of weather, the two of us sat down.

"Maybe we could try starting a small fire? Tepig could easily do it…" Nicole suggested.

Arceus that would be amazing. Just to sit back, relax, feel some warmth. Except of course, for the wind. That would make for way too much of a risk. We start a tiny fire, and it could turn into a forest fire.

"It's not worth it," I dismissed citing my logic for doing so. Nicole was disappointed, and gave me the classic pair of puppy dog eyes. Not exactly my favourite sight, but this definitely was not worth risking any pokemon's habitat. Or our own safety, for that matter.

"I'm not budging," I stated. "Besides, the sun's not exactly going to set anytime soon. I'll just have to pick up a jacket in Yellowknife."

"Fine," Nicole replied in a huff. Smooth Markus. Less than a week into the relationship, and you've had two disagreements. This boded well.

And then, out of the blue, a freak hailstorm. No warning, no way I would've known to expect it, just… Hail. It came pelting down, through the trees as the clouds began to really darken. A bird made a shrill, high pitched call off in the distance.

I didn't recognize the call, but it had this short of… Legendary quality to it.

"We need to check it out," I said, in full on focus mode. That bird was in trouble. No way around it. I'd be pretty irresponsible as a trainer if I didn't go to help it.

Bursting through the forest, I broke into a full on sprint. The cries kept getting closer, and as I did so, the trees began to spread. I couldn't tell where Nicole was for a moment and stopped. Well behind me, she was in a frenzy trying to catch up. I motioned for her to slow down, but she didn't seem to want to. Doubling over from the harried pace as she closed the next fifty metres or so, Nicole gave in and motioned for me to start running again.

Before she did though, I caught sight of her eyes. Normally relaxed and seemingly happy to take in the world, Nicole had this look of fear, almost as if she knew what was going on.

Did she? I mean, she was the expert on the myths the Legendary Birds were part of. It seemed like one of the most powerful calls I'd ever heard. Could it be _Articuno_ in trouble?

If so, that also meant another thing. Chuck would be there. Like with Moltres, he'd probably be the one to throw the Pokeball.

Time to kick the bastard's ass.

My run had taken me into a clearing, made even more obvious by the fact there weren't any nearby trees. A sort of stone structure stood, like a shrine of some sort. Cold and grey, icicles loomed along its side, and as I approached the entrance, their prominence peaked. A blue design had run along the sides, making for a bird shape at the entrance.

Just as I thought. Articuno.

Taking a cautious step toward the entrance, I glimpsed one cronie's equipment. While it obviously would have allowed him to climb Mt. Everest, it was probably more suited for this than what I had on.

Not to mention the muzzle of that gun. It wasn't military issue or anything, but it looked menacing. I was not prepared for a high powered rifle. Weakly pulling my survival knife out of my bag, thanking Arceus I'd had the foresight to keep it on, I realized I'd walked into one horrible cliché.

I brought a knife to a gunfight.

Then again, if charging in guns blazing wasn't an option, I'd just have to wait and listen in.

"Hmmph," a familiar voice grunted. Chuck. The was this place was built, I was able to hear the voices inside echo. "It figures they'd have built some sort of shrine for this one. After all, if the legends are true, travelers would have to be led somewhere."

"Excellent Charles. Now, show the bird that you're its master. Make Articuno yours forever," Another voice encouraged. I knew this one too, but couldn't place it. It sounded like it carried some sort of authority, because it had this influence on me even now.

Then I saw a red flash. It was fleeting, and pretty obscured by the fact I only had a side view of the entrance, but it matched that of a Pokeball. I'd failed. Articuno and Moltres were both captured.

"Well done," The powerful voice said. Quickly changing his attitude, it addressed the grunts. "Move! Now! We can't stay too long."

Oh crap. Not good. Definitely not good. Pulling back around the corner, I realized the hailstorm had calmed down, and I'd know exactly what I was dealing with.

Unsurprisingly, the first three men to walk out of the shrine were two rifle wielding grunts, one with a smoking barrel, as if it was fired recently and Chuck. He was dressed for what was probably the coldest weather he'd experience, jet black parka and boots a statement of this.

The fourth man was the real surprise. Even with the cold, he had the same airs about as when he appeared in Fredericton and the news. Mr. Worthington had been the last voice, calling the shots for the group.

Wait a minute- he said he'd had a son. The two had this eerie resemblance too, come to think of it. Hell, Mr. Worthington and Chuck had the same first name, Charles.

Holy shit. The two of them were father and son. Why had I never made the connection?

No time for that now though. They were getting away. Grabbing the knife, I took a quick second to think about my actions, and then did probably the worst thing I could possibly do.

Dashing out from my relatively secure hiding place, I grabbed Chuck from behind, holding the knife to his throat. "Move and he gets it," I threatened, hoping I wouldn't have to go through with it.

"Hello Markus," Chuck began to gloat. "I'd be glad to see you, except that I'm not."

"You know this one?" Mr. Worthington asked.

"He thinks he can stop us," Chuck answered.

"Excuse me, but who's the guy with a knife on their throat?" I countered. "You won't succeed. I'll stop you here and now."

"Markus!" Nicole shouted from the other side of the clearing. Grabbing the attention of the lackies, one raised his gun and aimed at her.

"You wouldn't let your girlfriend die now, would you?" Chuck taunted. Flinching a little, I eased up on how close the knife was to killing him, and that just added fuel to the fire. "You can't kill me, can you? This is all just an act."

"Well, it's just as cowardly to threaten somebody I care about. Neither of us is exactly being the best of role models right now, are we?" I asked.

"He has a point," Mr. Worthington interrupted. "You two, settle this with a battle like any other trainers would. In fact," he prompted, turning to the henchmen," lower your weapons."

Time for something Chuck wouldn't expect. He would have no idea I had in my party, and Hariyama wasn't standard, so I'd go with him. Leaping from the Pokeball, my Fighting Type led with his battle cry.

"Hari-Yama!"

"Cute," Chuck stated, already disinterested. "Moltres, you're on."

Shit, shit, shit, shit. I was not expecting this, and Hariyama's bulging eyes just worried me even more.

"Thought so. You can't keep going, can you? You're all burnt out," Chuck gleefully said, goading me on.

"ThunderPunch Hariyama!" I shouted, and as the crackling fist swung, Moltres merely took to the skies. Coming down in a blazing inferno, Hariyama was carried back by the legend, sent off to where Nicole stood by the sheer force of the blow. Dust settling, I knew Hariyama was defeated.

Swellow was sent out immediately after, but despite her dodging, couldn't outmaneuver Moltres for longer than a minute. She was promptly roasted by a flamethrower, heavily burned. Despite Manectric's Discharge finally managing to land a hit, the wild electricity flying everywhere, he too was Flamethrowered unconscious.

I then came to Marshtomp. The Water Type was able to attempt a water gun, but immediately that was evaporated. Instead of a Flamethrower, Moltres concentrated the sun's energy for a powerful Solar Beam that left a crater, powered by the unrelenting endless sun. Grotle, a sign of how desperate I was due to the circumstances came out next, but was knocked out by an Ancient Power, using the collateral damage as its fuel.

Recalling Grotle, I froze. Stunky would be dead if I sent her out. Just the sheer power of Moltres, and her bird phobia, and the fact she wasn't the strongest battler on any scale. I couldn't do this to her.

But I couldn't back down either. Time for something incredibly stupid.

Reaching to put Stunky's Pokeball back, something really odd happened. Everything began to slip out of focus, and the world darkened. Falling to my knees, Chuck came directly up to my face for one more chance to rub everything in.

"You'll never be good enough. Give up now, and when I'm Champion, you won't be as punished. After all, you're just some weak little kid who's pretending to train pokemon. "

Before I could react, my whole world went dark.

* * *

><p>"<em>You should've stayed with me, and not some pathetic loser like him," Chuck told Nicole.<em>

"_He sees me as more than a piece of meat. You never cared for me," Nicole countered. "I traded way up."_

"_We'll see who he is when he comes to. Maybe you'll eat your words. And, my offer will always be open," Chuck scoffed, now having dropped his jacket. Moving to rejoin his father, Nicole could only watch him leave, cursing her previous bad decisions._

* * *

><p>I knew I wasn't fully conscious yet. I knew I wasn't able to beat Chuck. I knew I couldn't let him win. And that meant I had to get stronger. I had to beat the last two Gyms and win the title.<p>

This wasn't me trying to stop him from taking over the country.

This was personal.

**Here are the (belated) replies!**

**Terra Clearwater: How's this for speeding things up? I think it came out well, if not for the whole dark approach Markus took... meh. I'll address it then.**

**RushedFast: Important was probably not the best word. Maybe if it was more like famous battlers never lost... but the use of it for gyms make sense, as they actually affect whether or not you can collect the gym badges quickly enough to enter, whereas a random battle in the wilderness is no relative skin off your back.**

**Canadian Sasquatch: Eh, Trevor's got some offscreen learning to do. He'll hopefully have changed next time he shows up. in say... 5-6 chaps?**

**TBroome535: Nah, I think the conversation really ran its course in the right fashion. More and I feel it would have dragged.**

**Mau5girl: Your premonitiion was right. Shit just went down.**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Markus! Are you okay?" Nicole asked, realizing I'd started to stir.

"Where am I?" I responded, still somewhat groggy from whatever had been given to me.

"We're in Yellowknife After... after you lost, you fainted. This girl who was passing by, she brought us here with the help of her Beartic," Nicole told to me.

"That's good. Now I just need to find the Gym, and we can be on our merry way," I said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," a gruff, older man interjected. "As this clinic's doctor, you aren't going anywhere for at least another day."

Now that I could really see, my vision having fully come back to me, I gave him a proper look. His hair had gone white with age, but he wasn't fully bald. His goatee was very angular, almost as if it was frozen, and underneath his lab coat was a knitted sweater, bearing a sort of snowman pattern.

I did my best to stifle a chuckle at this sight. A guy dressed like that sort of screamed Gym Leader. In fact, I bet if I got his name...

"Let me guess- Gym Challenger? Yeah, you're looking for me. I'm Dr. Lody Australis. My Gym represents the Territories that are active participants in the League," Lody explained, noticing how I reacted to his appearance.

"Is a battle out of the question?" I asked.

"Definitely. Nothing causing that much stress for at least two days, and then you'll have to take it easy for about the next week. I hope we're your number eight," the doctor asserted.

"Seven actually," I replied, remembering how badly Edmonton had gone for me.

"Sorry to hear that. I'm too busy most of the time anyway. My granddaughter Aurora handles most of the battles anyway. In fact, she's the reason you're not freezing to death tonight," Lody replied. "Anyway, there's somebody else who wanted to see you."

"Who? It's just the two of us right now," I wondered out loud, before Lody pressed a button on my belt.

Instead of the shy, perpetually shaking Pokémon I'd gotten used to, I was now confronted with a Skuntank that had a devilish glint in her eye. While not much different, barring a slight change in face and paw colours to a creamy white, her tail reached over her eyes and doubled her height.

"Since when did she evolve?" I excited called out.

"While you were out, her pokeball started glowing. Most trainer Pokémon evolve through battle or triggering conditions, but every now and then an evolution happens on its own through time," Lody answered. "Oh, and that doesn't mean you aren't getting out of here early. Take the time to relax. You look like you've been through a lot."

This guy had no idea.

* * *

><p>"The door would be open if I had one," I dryly remarked, cursing the lack of Wi-Fi.<p>

"Not exactly the nicest way to treat anyone who saved your life, is it?" a female voice scoffed, I turned my head, and realized she couldn't have been any older than myself. Her hair was white as well, but heavily bleached to look that way, and there were several streaks of pink, green and blue in it. Surprisingly enough, her attire was more of the dark and edgy variety, black leather jacket and combat boots supporting this claim.

"So you're Aurora. I guess I do owe you an apology," I confessed.

"Damn right you do. To think, I was looking forward to my third battle this League season," she answered.

"Wait, third?! I thought that number would be bigger," I said, shocked by this figure.

"Yeah. Nobody comes up here. We're too far away when you have nine options south of here that are way warmer year round. Whatever. So, you're supposed to wait another day before Gramps lets you off?" she prompted.

"Unfortunately. How do you spend your time up here like this? No internet here, not that many people to get to know, what's the big idea behind all of that?" I posed. It was an honest question in my mind.

"You get good with Pokémon. Yellowknife's actually not that tiny all things considered, so there's a few kids my age. And the Gym proper has modern facilities, if not slower internet," she replied. "Day after you're out. Four on Four."

As she walked out, I had no idea how to respond.

"Alright then?"

* * *

><p>"Chuck!" What are you doing here?" I snarled, now fully prepared for a battle. Reaching for my belt there was... Nobody?<p>

Panicking, I double and triple checked my belt, but couldn't find any of my Pokémon. Returning my gaze to Chuck, the devilish glint in his eyes as he raised his own choice of Pokémon up in the air.

"Not so heroic now, are you Markus?" he taunted, before bringing out his mystery choice and forcing another wave of shock through my already devastated self.

"Marshtomp!" My former Pokémon exclaimed, but not as who he was. Marshtomp's voice still had a hint of playfulness despite his serious attitude, with a smirk to go along with it. It was like... he wanted to be the one to defeat me.

"Your own Pokémon even wants you to fail. No, former Pokémon. He's found a new master now," Chuck continued to taunt. Just in how much he seemed to be enjoying himself was enough to make me go over the edge. Lunging at him in a berserk charge, I woke up in a cold sweat.

Some messed up nightmare. That was all it had been. Checking my bedside table, I was relaxed by the feeling of six familiar bumps along my belt.

There was definitely symbolism buried within that dream, but I needed to get back to sleep. Closing my eyes once again to block out everything else, I went back into a slumber hoping to put this behind me.

* * *

><p>"Well Markus, you're good to go. Just don't push yourself in your Gym Battle, okay?" Lody almost demanded, eyes bearing down on me. I sort of felt a chill in the air at this, and shivered at the thought of what he'd do if I disobeyed him.<p>

"Yes sir," I confirmed, taking a nervous little gulp.

"Four on four... at that level... You're up against a Beartic, Glaceon, Jynx and Abomasnow," Lody told me.

"You're allowed to tell me that?" I asked, a little shocked.

"Eh, who's going to check? Besides, she needs to get her butt whopped. Aurora's way too high on her horse," he shrugged, before putting his lab coat back on. "I have to make a house call. Scram."

Ambling out, still a little unsteady given how little walking I'd done yesterday, I squinted at the sunlight. I'd had blackout curtains inside the medical centre, but the sun was way brighter than I had thought.

Kind of a disadvantage for an Ice Type gym really. Fire Type attacks were boosted under intense sunlight, which would help me if I had a Fire Type. All I had was Manectric, who knew Flamethrower. And I still didn't quite know what Skuntank could do now that she'd evolved.

Time to power up the old Pokedex. When was the last time I'd used it anyway?

_"You cruel bastard! First, you ignore me for weeks, then you bring me out in much closer capacity to my operational limits than I ever wanted to be in. What. Do. You. Want?"_ the thing snarled, giving me a metaphorical heavy eyeball. Maybe this guy's A.I. was a little elevated. I'd have to get that checked...

"I want you to scan my Skuntank. I figured she'd know a couple new attacks," I answered, Pokeball in hand.

_"Fine... Skuntank: Female, Healthy, Normal colouration. Moves: Haze, Night Slash, Toxic, Flamethrower,"_ it droned.

I grinned at the last attack. Nobody would see it coming. Of course, now we had to get ready for the Gym Battle. Time to rally the troops.

Calling them all out at once, I was amazed by the amount of order. When there was once horrendous chaos as they all scrambled for dominance, or my attention, they waited for me to speak. Nobody was running off or giving anyone a sideways glance. Marshtomp wasn't trying to prove himself as the alpha anymore, Grotle actually seemed to be focusing on me, and Skuntank was no longer afraid of Swellow.

I was so happy I could cry, but now was not the time for that. Now, was time for a speech.

"I want to thank all of you. We've come far from our native homes, fought countless battles that both affected our path and didn't, put in countless hours of training, pushed ourselves to the limit- and we aren't ready to give in yet. Without out any of your work, we'd never be here. There are still two more Gyms to beat. The next Gym battle is tomorrow. Are we giving in now, or will we dominate?" I asked, awaiting a response.

Immediately, six very different voices called back to signal their excitement. No need to continue this speech, for we were ready.

"Let's get to work!"

**No reviews?... :(. I put in all this hard work for you guys, and nothing. And woot, almost breaking the 40 barrier. I think we'll hit somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50-55 before this story ends so... **

**Honestly, I got a complaint this story's action was moving a little slowly about a month ago. Is it? Do you want me to ramp it up at all? Let me know in a review.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Oh boy. Badge seven. For real this time. Waiting for the Gym to open, I began to shake with nerves. I'd been lent a black windbreaker, which did an amazing job of keeping me from freezing that as result of the last little bit of cold.

I couldn't believe I'd made it this far. People would come back home, ecstatic about having one or two badges, and I had this unbelievable chance to win the last two I needed. I could become the champion for real, not just as part of some far off dream.

Of course, I'd have to win here. And then in Vancouver. And whatever qualifiers the League had... This was not the time to be getting ahead of myself. The door finally clicked open though, and I took the cautious step in.

The receptionist's desk was non-existent, and I realized how small the place had to be. Walking right into the battlefield, I once again stopped. Instead of something resembling concrete or rock, the field was solid ice. A barrier, much like that of a hockey arena surrounded the iceberg that was to be our battlefield. With this much ice and an enclosed roof though? No wonder this place was an Ice Type Gym.

Standing in the challenger's position, I noticed an piece of equipment It was almost like a tennis ball shooter, except that the opening was closer to the size of a Pokeball. Leaning down to get a better look at the thing, I was distracted by the wooshing of steel doors.

Stepping into the Leader's box, Aurora gave me a look of indifference, then began reciting the rules for our match.

"Four on four, as previously agreed, you can switch but I can't, and all Pokemon must be released and recalled through the shooter without your interference according to health and safety... blah blah blah, are you ready to begin?"

Smirking, I gave her a short and sweet answer. "I've been ready for a long time now. Swellow, I choose you!"

With a muffled bang, Swellow took flight in the middle of the miniature tundra. Odd choice, but I wasn't sure how much punishment that ice could take and I was not taking another unnecessary risk. If I knew how much weight it could support... Hariyama definitely would have been a better choice.

"Cute. That the best you got? Abomasnow, take charge," Aurora scoffed. The burly creature rose up into the battlefield with a tremendous roar, blowing its facial growths with its sheer intensity. Raising a glowing green arm, the Ice and Grass Type tried to land the first hit of the match.

Swellow however, immediately dove out of the way, performing a barrel roll as she did so. Flying up into the air, now well out of the attack's reach, Abomasnow couldn't even get close for another strike. Something I was thankful for, given the size of the crack in the ice. I had to get that thing out of there as of now.

"Aerial Ace!" I shouted, prompting Swellow to divebomb the abominable snowman. Abomasnow took a step back as Swellow's wing cut across its side, and let her fly back out of harm's way.

"Argh... Abomasnow, Blizzard!" Aurora granted, realizing how much of an advantage I had the way the battle was currently going. The sudden blast of frigid wind and ice particles came as a shock to me, but the brunt of the blast came in a little low and didn't connect.

Still, why wasn't it hailing? I thought that was the ability of Abomasnow, to summon a hailstorm whenever it entered the battlefield.

"Swellow, again with Aerial Ace!" I ordered. Swellow went in for the second hit, but Abomasnow wasn't reeling or trying to dodge. Aurora's gaze was strangely focused too...

I was sending Swellow into a trap!

"Switch to U-Turn!" I panicked, and Swellow then began the roll that led into the attack. Connecting with Abomasnow, Swellow was instantly whisked back into her Pokeball. The machine which had launched her Pokeball then activated an LED screen, displaying Swellow's picture instead of me having the Pokeball in my hand.

Actually, that was kinda cool. I just needed to figure out how to launch Pokemon back out of that thing from holding... I'd get to that.

"Manectric, it's on you!" I called out, as my canine took his own battle stance. I had no idea how he'd managed it, but a pair of sunglasses now rested across his face.

"Now, Flamethrower!" I shouted. The jet of fire burst out of the Electric Type's open mouth, racing towards the giant target... and then suddenly ran out of steam. Was there some sort of cooling system running through the field? I would explain why the barriers were needed in the first place.

"New plan! Signal Beam!" I decided, and Manectric switched to the psychedelic beam. This time the attack connected, and it did more damage than I expected, but Flamethrower would have been better. The closer I got however, the more likely Abomasnow would be able to land a hit. That, and attempting to run would involve slipping and sliding across the ice.

Caution was a bitch at times.

Now what though? It was almost as if I had to bait Aurora into coming at me... Not actually a bad idea.

Manectric wasn't waiting around for me to get my act together though. Desperately trying to close the gap, he finally managed to stop sliding and land a Flamethrower, this time with the expected results. Abomasnow was quickly roasted, landing on its stomach with a thud.

"You got lucky. Abomasnow, return. Jynx, Come on out!" Aurora called out, releasing an almost human-like Pokemon. With its blonde... hair, and dark skin, I was almost reminded of Nikki Minaj. Adding to this first impression was how it had almost a red dress along its body.

Weird. Hang on, it's coming back to me know... Ice and Psychic Type. I had just the girl for that one. But was I playing all my cards too early? I had what Lody told me to go by, and that wasn't set in stone. Yes it had been right so far, but if he was cold enough to stab his granddaughter in the back, Doing the same to me likely wasn't out of the question.

Screw it. Manectric was still in mint condition. I'd just need to hold back Hariyama. "Return boy. Skuntank, you're on!" I called out, making the switch. Snarling at her new opponent Skuntank was bearing her teeth in an almost territorial manner.

Oh Arceus. What had I wrought, making her want to evolve.

"Dark Type. Of course you'd do something like that," Aurora said, cursing under her breath. "Just means I have to change tactics. Ice Punch!"

Swinging its now pale white fist, Jynx tried to strike Skuntank, but forgot to account for the height difference. Missing the attack and now thrown off balance, I struck.

"Toxic!" I shouted. First, Skuntank shot out a stream of dark purple ooze which covered the battlefield, before it quickly dissolved into a gas. Thanking the League for their having a barrier installed, I watched Jynx inhale the fumes. Aurora's pokemon then wobbled slightly, before carrying on with the battle at hand.

After all, we still had to go until she'd had three more pokemon faint.

* * *

><p><em>"Back for more, you insignificant scum?" Fuego asked his challenger.<em>

_ "You got lucky. I don't think I'm going to lose this time," Trevor said, a scowl across his face._

_ Trevor's first attempt to win... had been a disappointment for both of them really. Charizard had put on the necessary showing, but the newly evolved Machole and Lombre weren't nearly where Trevor had assumed them to be._

_ "We duel as before. Three on three. Begin!" Feugo shouted, moving his arms in his own little flourish. Now holding a Pokeball in his hands, Fuego released his first choice of the match. The lava snail dripped its parent matter with every movement, and its shell had a dull red glow to accompany it._

_ "Macargo," it moaned, lazily opening its mouth, yellow eyes betraying its actual alertness._

_ "Machoke, you're on!" Trevor shouted. The large blue bodybuilder flexed his muscles briefly, then took a fighting stance. Both parties began to stare one another down, before Machoke charged forward with a bright white fist, striking the Fire Type with tremendous force. Macargo visibly shook from the attack, and Trevor had to smile. This match was going to be his._

_ That is, until Machoke's hand turned and unsightly shade of red. A burn. Trevor groaned, asking himself if Markus would have walked into that. Honestly, yes. The question now was if he could turn this match around, as all Machoke could use were physical attacks..._

_ No way the next champion was going to struggle with a mere Gym Leader._

** And... we wrap! And people reviewed last time! Yeah, Trevor was kinda unexpected, but it felt right to give a little snapshot of what he's up to.**

**Replies!**

**RushedFast: Yeah, wasn't my favourite one of the Pokedex's scenes truth be told. Eh, it happens. Cute wasn't exactly my goal with the nightmare though...**

**TBroome535: Thanks for the praise! It's always appreciated.**

**Mau5girl: Honestly, I didn't see much point in writing out that battle blow by blow. I sort of condensed it into the flashing moments in front of Markus' eyes, because that's how easily Moltres defeated him. Aurora's got her own little niche actually, this battle won't be the last we see of her. They are kinda NPCish in game though...**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Now, where were we? It felt as I'd been pushed offscreen by a cutaway. Ah, Skuntank was taking on Aurora's Jynx.

"Now that it's poisoned, try a Night Slash!" I called out. Skuntank's front paw quickly changed to an ominous, foreboding shade of deep purple, and she jumped at what could only be described as... weird, striking true. Jynx was thrown well off balance, and clearly affected by the hit.

"Are you going to keep doing that?" Aurora asked, annoyed by my strategy. "You keep darting in and out. stand still so we can land a hit."

"I'd rather not," I retorted. "I'm afraid it's not in my best interests." Clearly pissed by this statement, Aurora motioned for the now focused Jynx to do something. The human-shaped pokemon began gathering a bluish-white orb of energy in its hands, pushing out and launching it at Skuntank.

Focus Blast. That attack was powerful, making a large crater in the field. Skuntank would have been floored by the hit, if not for how the attack had gone wide. Jynx's footing slid for a moment, but the pokemon quickly regained its balance.

"Flamethrower," I said, already knowing how this round was going to go. We'd exchange one or two more attacks each, and then the Toxic would make Jynx hit the floor. Really simple, if you thought about it. The steady stream of fire poured over Jynx, which then narrowed its wide eyes into a scowl and wider lips into a frown.

"Again!" Aurora screeched. This time the attack was successful, and Skuntank flew directly into the paneling with a sickening thud, before limply hitting the ground. Near unconscious, she struggled to get up.

Striding in closer and closer, Jynx began to tower over Skuntank, especially considering how the thing was closer to my height than most other members of its species. Preparing another Ice Punch, Skuntank was taken out of the fight with a smack, before Jynx simultaneously passed out, a combination of Toxic and Skuntank's ability, Aftermath.

This officially brought the fight down to a two versus three brawl, in my favour. Aurora had followed Lody's predictions to the letter, so far at least. Maybe I could go by them completely on their own, but the fact he was so readily willing to give that crucial piece of information out... was it a test? Was I being coldly stabbed in the back? ICE Type Gym Leader after all.

No. I had to go by what I was given as if it was truth. I had to believe I could do this, for the six pokemon counting on me, for Nicole, to show Trevor up, to accomplish a goal Carly had actually never been that partial too, to defend the world. Blind faith in my ability was crucial for a hero.

Going back to the machine, I remembered I had already released two of my remaining three options into the fray. It was probably best to save Hariyama, leaving my choices as Swellow and Manectric.

Seeing that Aurora was waiting for me to make my decision before hers, I figured out which button I needed to press, and hoped to Arceus it was the correct one. Manectric snarled, sunglasses now slightly damaged.

Instantly responding with a roar of its own, the familiar face of the Toonie took a battle stance, showing off its own awe-inspiring power. Slamming its claws along the ice, leaving deep scratches in its already horribly damaged surface, I felt the shockwaves even where I stood. Not exactly reassuring.

"Keep that thing at bay! Discharge!" I shouted. Aurora was clearly going for a power based approach to this battle, and I was not going to let her have her way.

Electric shocks darted across the arena, reflecting erratically off the ice and producing a distracting glow. Turning me head for a minute due to the brightness, I was shocked to hear Manectric howl in pain. Beartic had managed to plow through the attack, striking with the dark purple energy of what appeared to be Shadow Claw. Moving into an Ice Punch, Manectric was now completely sprawled out on the ground, unable to strike back.

Grimacing at how quickly I was losing this battle, I tried to come up with a strategy. Flamethrower would work, but the cold was at a point where the attack's range was reduced, almost to the point of being a melee style strike. To get in close to that Beartic was deadly... no wonder Aurora had the thing drag me back to Yellowknife after I blacked out. Its sheer force was all it needed in battle.

If I could just whittle it down that little bit more...

Manectric's glasses were now completely destroyed. Snarling out of rage, the canine got right back up on his feet and leapt at the jugular of Beartic. Sinking in, the polar bear tried to throw him off, swinging its arms wildly, each time at least grazing Manectric. Little by little, the attacks began draining the alpha wolf of his last bit of energy. Limply firing off a point blank Flamethrower, Manectric finally succumbed to his injuries, fully unconscious.

Recalling Manectric honestly made me stop and think about what was happening. Two of my team, half of my allowed pokemon were done. I had Swellow and Hariyama left, and they had to win this. Yes, Beartic wasn't exactly in mint condition, but the Ice Type wasn't finished yet. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to fight even harder to win this battle, but I had to acknowledge the fact Beartic was well within the realm of what I could bring down.

Sending out Swellow in a suicide play, Aurora actually began to laugh at me. "You think your puny little bird's going to win this match for you? She's about the right size to be this guy's dinner. It's kind of cute, that you think you can win now."

Time for this alpha bitch to meet my own. Swellow looked back at me. before I gave her the nod. This battle was to be hers. Swellow flew up into the air, circling and circling Beartic in a display of aerial acrobatics.

Wings glowing gunmetal grey, Swellow then blasted around Beartic, striking twice before colliding with Beartic's paw. The ice type gave her this look of pure rage, before slamming her down with an Icicle Crash, its frozen spires rising the more force went into the blow. Beartic took in a victory howl, then collapsed from exhaustion, much to my bewilderment. I did not see that coming. Even with the high energy nature of the attacks, Beartic should have been able to keep going those next few minutes of our match.

Then, it clicked to me. Aurora had put this glowing purple orb on her machine, and as she pulled it off, a hum the battle had covered up stopped. These things... did they actually permit the use of items? I was not prepared for that. An item, if engaged could change the course of the battle. Aurora had been using a Life Orb from the look of things, which was why she'd done so well, turning the match around within the last couple of minutes. The massive power boost it gave was well worth the sacrifice on her part.

And now, we were in crunch time.

Well, if Lody had been telling the truth... Next was Glaceon, one of the many evolved forms of Eevee. Against Hariyama. This was either going to be scarily close, or one sided. Hopefully, in either case it would go in my favour. I needed this win. We needed this win.

"Hari-Yama!" he called out taking his standard combat pose and making me chuckle. Some things just make you laugh when you're stressed, and this was one of them. Despite all the pressure, he had to get in his battle cry.

Lody was right in the end. Aurora's Glaceon stood its ground when being intimidated, and I had to give the Ice Type credit, as it's not exactly a cakewalk to stare down an opponent who is twice your size.

Immediately Hariyama came out swinging, releasing a Force Palm that had me shaking towards Glaceon who then jumped out of the way. Firing off a white, laser like stream of light, its Ice Beam managed to freeze Hariyama's foot solid. Little damage had been sustained however, given both Hariyama's typing and ability.

Smashing himself out of the ice, both pokemon waited for further orders. "ThunderPunch," I commanded, as Aurora called for her own attack of choice. Glaceon's now metallic tail slammed across Hariyama's electified fist, much to the former's displeasure. Shreiking in pain, Glaceon pushed off the catcher's mitt Hariyama had for a fist and landed gracefully.

"Brine!" I continued, hoping to throw Aurora off with the unusual move choice. The rush of saltwater went towards Glaceon for about a metre or so before freezing solid and crashing against the floor, a testament to the cold. I probably should have seen that coming. After all, Hariyama wasn't a natural Water Type and as result didn't have the same control over the attack, or its ability to resist cold, like some other pokemon would be able to do.

Now that it was established I'd have to come in close to do any damage, I realized how far in Aurora's court the ball was. Glaceon had the natural ability to move its dainty paws along the ice without slipping, and Hariyama was not only much less agile but would have to watch what was going on in order to land the attack.

This was frustrating.

Looking up, I noticed we'd managed to completely miss the ice crystals dangling from the ceiling. They easily weighed as much as I did, and were probably the size of me too. If I could knock one of those down onto Glaceon, the match would be mine.

"Force Palm along the walls!" I called out. "Don't let Glaceon get in your way!"

Hariyama instantly began pounding away at the target, a beam between the boards that ran straight up to the roof. Vibrations once again coursed through the floor and my body, as I watched a particularly large crystal begin to shake. Vibrating slightly, it began to come lose, but not nearly at the pace I wanted.

Said crystal then fell, hitting the floor and shattering into thousands of shards when the attack ended, but at no harm to Glaceon, who had gotten out of the way. Charging an orange beam of energy at the highest magnitude possible, the Hyper Beam spiraled across the arena...

Missing Hariyama by centimetres. Now forced to recover, Glaceon was standing still, panting unable to do anything but watch. Charging up Focus Punch in its own white hot intensity, the gap was steadily closed by Hariyama..

Glaceon quickly sprung to life as the charging period ended, leaping away in a desperate attempt to avoid contact, but it was far too late. Hariyama's swing hit true, and Glaceon wasn't able to get back up on all fours.

Forcibly recalled by the machine, all four pokeballs were promptly spat out in a small tray, as a voice I did not expect called the match.

"Congratulations Markus. You are a proud owner of the Borealis Badge, and victor. Aurora, would you do him the honors?" Lody prompted.

Scowling, Aurora stomped over, managing to catch my toes underfoot as the badge was presented to me. The badge was square in shape, with a white background. Across this background were blue, green and pink stripes, arching and weaving around one another.

Putting it in my now weathered black case, I paused.

Seven down. One to go.

* * *

><p><em>"Charizard! End it with Slash!" Trevor called out, face dripping with sweat. Fuego's Arcanine slumped, energy sapped by the one final hit and Charizard stood as lone victor.<em>

_ "I admit that you are winner of this match. However," Fuego prompted, "I deny you the partaking of the spoils." Putting the outstretched Pyre Badge back in his pocket, Fuego explained his reasoning. _

_ "You are very powerful on your own, but you have little aptitude for others. Given your team, I am surprised."_

_ Trevor was taken aback. "The hell do you mean? I beat that badge out of your ass."_

_ "Your Machoke and Lombre have both reached the upper limits of their power. Neither can progress without the aid of another trainer. I will present the badge to you in Ottawa, once you have overcome these obstacles with teamwork. And learn not to curse," Fuego explained._

_ Trevor sighed, then walked out of the building._

_ Whatever. Markus would be heading for Vancouver, according to Carly, and he'd be able to figure it out. Trevor just had to meet Markus there._

_ After all, Trevor didn't need anybody._

**And, Cut!**

**Been a while, hasn't it? I've been busy with school though, and you'll get another update to The Arena this weekend, I promise.**

**Replies!**

**Terra ClearWater: Glad to see you're caught up. I've got one more cutaway scene planned, this time for Carly, but that's it. Aurora's name is actually that of the Southern lights, which I guess isn't as widely known. Part of me wanted to do the battle with Chuck, but it didn't really fit. Having it go by stream of consciousness, event by event summed it up really well. There's a reunion of the trio planned, don't worry. The baddies don't have a formal organization in the sense of Team Whatever, but they are organized.**

**Mau5girl: We've pretty much discussed everything.**

**RushedFast: Eh, it was a good place to stop regarding Markus. I've cut chapters short/extended them before based on that. And leaders can't swtich, sorry if I didn't make that clear this time.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

Ever needed to take a second and reflect on everything that had happened to you so far, how much you life had changed, what it meant to be where you were now?

I felt that way right now. Nicole and I were headed to Vancouver, having left Yellowknife a couple days ago. Already we could see one of British Colombia's mountain ranges far off in the distance, a testament to the final environmental obstacle in our paths. More correctly, obstacles. Three mountain ranges within a couple days of one another. Yes, there existed passes through parts of the journey, but they couldn't reach everywhere on the government's budget.

If we were lucky, this time tomorrow we'd be in the Okanagan valley, and just a stone's throw from Vancouver.

I'd be thousands of kilometres away from home. Farther than I already was. To think, just months ago I'd never given taking care of myself a second thought. Even as the originally two, then three, then four and two again of us, we'd relied on others.

Actually, we still did. We counted on our pokemon the most, the ones who did more than we ever could. We needed the help and time with other passing trainers, to keep ourselves sane by letting us experience new people, our profession the ultimate icebreaker. Most importantly, we relied on each other to keep ourselves going, entertained on the long hauls, to be there for one another- Everything a family is, and we'd become.

Of course, Trevor had gone and wrecked it all. His insatiable need for raw, untamed power just took over once he had it, in the form of his Charizard. And the rest of his team excelled at the whole be the "most" whatever of their species.

Now... now I didn't know where we stood anymore. Were we friends, or enemies, or something in the middle? Did we still have enough in common to make it work, or had we changed too much?

Carly on the other hand... she'd grown. We'd never wanted her to come with us, and she'd saved our lives in the wilderness more times than I could recall. As much as we didn't get along on the surface, I was proud of my sister for what she'd accomplished.

And, I had seven more thanks to give. Marshtomp, Swellow, Kricketune, Grotle, Manectric, Skuntank and Hariyama. My pokemon, for all the battles they were on the front lines for, for all the overwhelming defeats, and hard won victories, for all them all giving me the chance to prove myself in countless battles of my own- They deserved the biggest thanks of them all.

Now smiling, I went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Nicole and I set out to clear the first of the mountains on our journey. My hand intertwined with hers, we walked along the route carved into the mountain careful to watch our step lest we fall. A cry of dominance echoed in the distance, causing us to stop momentarily, but it moved away from us immediately.<p>

Of course... to have call that resounding would be a bit of an issue. It meant at least one if not more giant pokemon were in the area. Not a good thing if the nearest pokemon centre is hours away.

Reaching the pass' entrance gate, I flashed my trainer card at the guard in hopes they'd wave us through. Instead, we were forced to stop.

"Terribly sorry kids, but we can't let you through. Aggron territory dispute. If any of them are in the nearby area, we have to stop any and all passage until they clear," I was told.

"How long does that normally take?" I asked, now beginning to worry about its implications.

"A couple hours at minimum. You'll be able to continue in a bit, we just need to confirm that neither of the males that were fighting just now have firmly returned to their territory," he responded. "Please feel free to wait in the visitor's centre."

"You're kidding me. Eleven Gym Badges between the two of us, and this is how we're treated," I muttered, thinking out loud.

Adults are going to assume what they assume, but this late in League season, coming from this direction? He had to realize we could take care of ourselves. Hopefully.

"Aggron don't fight over territory like that. They each take a mountain for themselves, and they remember that," Nicole began, now that we were firmly inside the building. "If anything, they were provoked."

Riding on this, I added to her train of thought. "Aggron are huge. There's no question about it. And to command an entire mountain each? Either something equally big is in the area, or a trainer provoked two at the same time."

"Who would do that? Somebody suicidal?" Nicole exclaimed, eyes bulging.

"I think we both know a guy of the type that would think comparing two of them to find the strongest would be worth it," I sighed. "If it's not him, it's just as bad."

Nicole paused for a moment, then clued in to who I was talking about. Eyes narrowing, she took off before I knew what she was doing, and I ran in a desperate attempt to keep up with her.

Bursting out the doorway, she managed to duck around the guard before getting out of my line of sight. Her team was still Tepig, Blitzle, Roselia and Kangaskhan. Not nearly strong enough to keep pace with whatever jackass she met up with.

I needed to get there. Now.

"Sorry about this. You'll thank me later," the guard said to me, grabbing my shoulders and holding me back, my legs still moving as I was held still. This could not get any more counterproductive. If I was to back Nicole up, I was going to have to do something drastic.

"I think the same goes for you," I countered, activating an emergency release mechanism on my belt. All six of my pokemon were released at the exact same moment, blinding everyone with their collected light. Battle stances up, I smiled. The guards backed off once they realized what they were up against, much to my surprise.

I thought I was going to have to get violent, so I'm not complaining. Calling back all but Manectric, we took off once again. The pass was pretty nondescript, dark with some structural pillars and the occasional light. I was more interested in the other end of the passage, so the scenery wasn`t really of my own concern.

Reaching the end, I froze. Looking around wildly, we were unable to see Nicole. An Aggron wouldn`t have come near the path unless angered, but the things would have been forced up into their territories. Time for some improvised rock climbing.

Carefully grabbing on to a bulge, my hands and feet were slowly moved into wherever I could put them. I was conflicted on the speed to move the whole time, as this was me doing so freehand, but caution once again won out. After what felt like eternity, I reached the ledge where the action was taking place.

I had no idea who this guy was. He just radiated douchebag. Tossing a Pokeball playfully as he gloated, I stood back and watched Nicole attempt to rip a piece out of this guy.

"You asshole! How could you justify forcing these Aggron to fight one another, when they'd never attack one another in real life," she shouted. "Can`t you see what you're doing?"

"I'm finding the best new addition to my team. The other one that was here took out six more before being defeated. This one couldn't even finish the fight. Didn't even have its horns when I got to it. Worthless piece of shit. I'm out of here," he answered, before disappearing in a flash of light.

Teleport. He must've had a Psychic Type waiting nearby. Guess he wasn't so confident he'd win after all. Still, to be so ruthless...

I had to become Champion, or if I wasn't able to, make sure somebody who cared for Pokemon, who wanted the position for more than power and fame won. I couldn't let guys like him continue to succeed.

More pressing matters were at hand though. Blood soaked through cracks in the defeated Aggron's armor. Lying on its front, true to the asshole's words, its horns had been forcibly broken off long ago. A scar crossed its right eye. Clearly it had been through a lot in its lifetime.

"It needs medical attention. Like now. I don't know how long it's going to survive on its own, without help," Nicole began to panic, visibly shaking. The Aggron's hand rose weakly, as if begging for help.

Reaching into my bag, I prayed to Arceus I still had it. Pulling the object out of my bag, I handed it to Nicole. "This has a stasis field built in. We can save it this way. Catch it, for its life," I told her, pressing the Pokeball into her hands. Nicole nodded, the pressed it to the Aggron's head. A flash went off, and the familiar click resounded within seconds. I took a second to smile, then focused.

"Let's get out of here."

**Yeah, not the happiest of chapters. It felt kinda necessary to have a scene like this though. I don't know why. And... Replies.**

**RushedFast: Glad you liked the creativity. And earned compliments are always appreciated.**

**Mau5girl: Yeah, Canadian is kinda what I want to go for. I've always made it clear that badges are something you really earn, as they should be. The fact Markus is just that advanced only enables me. And... I'm only in Driftveil. I'm grinding ATM, for my team is about lvl 27 by mode and median.**

**Terra Clearwater: Sorry for working your hopes up with Carly's ending. It's coming, it just doesn't fit with this chapter to me. The technology is always fun to work with though. I've always been assumed that when the Pokemon does use its technology, they're that much farther along than us. I try to show that. **

**By the way, you've met Trevor's future girlfriend already. Feel free to guess.**

**And a happy All Hallow's Eve to those who are still celebrating because Frankenstorm has hit.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

"Vancouver. Hell of a long way from home," I told myself. I'd made it to both coasts of Canada, within a few months of one another. Honestly, the past few months of my life had been this one big journey, and it would be done in just a few hours.

All I needed was one more piece of metal, to fill the empty spot in my badge case. I didn't want to get my hopes up yet again, given how close my last badge had been, despite the win there. It was as if I couldn't keep up with the sudden rise in my opponent's skill level.

Had I peaked? Was this as strong as I could get? As much as I could grow?

Not exactly a thrilling prospect. Besides, I knew that couldn't be true. Marshtomp and Grotle still had evolutions to go through. Even if I could go any further, they could. I had to look forward to seeing that happen.

"So, how's Aggron doing?" I asked Nicole, while we waited in a Vancouver Pokemon centre.

"Well, I know that it's a him. He's old. Older than my parents old. Probably lost his horns before I was born, so that's nothing we can blame that... monster for," she paused, making a fist. "But I didn't know it was possible to open up a Steel Type that much."

"Look, he's going to make it through fine according to the doctor, right?" I asked, as she nodded. "Then we just need to make sure there's nothing else permanent wrong with him. Besides, You weren't the one who ended up with the lecture from the guards. Seven badges, and they still treated me like a kid."

"You disobeyed them, ran into what could have been certain death, and didn't think things through when you should have been more careful. All for me though, so thank you," Nicole responded with a smile.

Huh. Maybe there were times when caution could be thrown to the wind.

"Alright, can we go find the Gym? I think we start heading home tomorrow if it all goes well," I asked.

**Scene Change**

"What do you mean, the Gym's not even in this city?" I yelled at the info desk clerk. "Even Saskatoon's Gym is within its city limits."

"It's a registration thing. The city of Vancouver is responsible for maintaining it, but otherwise we don't have anything to do with it. I can point it out for you on a Town Map, if you want," she answered. I calmed down when she told me this. Maybe I had overreacted a little.

Pulling mine out, I showed it to her. She made a few quick button presses, then handed it back to me. Not only was the Gym marked, but it was actually less than two hours away. Very much a happy surprise.

"Well, thank you for this. We'll be on our way now," I said, before walking out.

Or at least trying to. As if scripted, a familiar face came in through the sliding doors.

Trevor.

"Oh bloody hell, what are you doing here?" I groaned.

"Fuego wouldn't give me the badge. I came here to change that," he scoffed.

Something about Trevor seemed off. His eyes were narrower, even a shade darker. Gone was his sort of wannabe playboy debonair, and in its place was menacing attitude. Even his style had changed, his torso now covered in a solid black shirt, complimented by torn grey jeans.

"I think we have a score to settle," Trevor began, gesturing to where Pokemon Centres kept a battlefield, specifically for trainers of our level. After all, a street battle between Hariyama and Charizard could end up going downhill quickly for anyone watching.

Fortunately, the field was empty, saving us an uncomfortable wait.

"Two on two, just for simplicity's sake?" I asked. Trevor nodded, already holding onto his opener.

"Sounds good to me. More than enough to win. Heck, I'll take you on two of yours to my one," he countered.

His funeral. "Deal."

"Charizard, you're on," Trevor shouted. The fire dragon roared, as if trying to intimidate me.

You know what, time for a classic matchup. Just to show him how in the wrong he was.

"Marshtomp, take the stage!" I announced. Throwing a couple boxing style swings in jest, the Water Type stared down his larger opponent.

"Slash!" Trevor snarled, and Charizard hooked his claws towards Marshtomp, trying to deliver a blow to the side of Marshtomp's head.

"Use the momentum to get over Charizard's head, then Water Gun!" I began. Pushing off Charizard's hand, my Water and Ground Type vaulted above Charizard's head before releasing a gush of water.

"Mud Shot the ground, then Take Down!" I continued, trying to keep this going. The brown orbs slammed across Charizard's body, blemishes on an orange background, as Charizard stumbled even further. Finally ramming himself into the Fire Type, Marshtomp got back up and prepared to go a second round.

Charizard didn't get up, and I was then greeted with a surprise of my own. Finally bathed in that infamous white glow, Marshtomp grew to the size of a small adult, gaining three fingered hands as his skin turned a much darker blue. His tail grew larger, his underbelly darkened, and his eyes becamed like small dots.

Swampert. However, one of his horn fins came through odd, a byproduct of the plate in his head. Rather than reaching its counterpart's full range, a jagged piece of the damaged fin shortened it drastically, and only about half had come through anyway.

"I'm sorry," I said to the now fully evolved starter. "You shouldn't have had to pay for my mistakes like this."

Swampert gave me a look that made me relax instantly. He didn't mind. Or at least, he'd known it was coming, and had prepared himself for it better than I did.

Trevor however, had no patience for this moment. "The hell? Why did you win? You're weaker than I am?"

"You might have more raw power, but your friend has synergy. Synergy is the trump card ninety nine times out of one hundred. It's about flow, discipline, teamwork, controlling your power and feeding off one another so that its impact counts, rather than letting it drain by radiating it," an Asian woman interjected. "Besides, if you wanted to play the power angle, you had a type disadvantage. And were taking on a Water Type specialist, if quality shows."

"Actually, just an ordinary trainer," I said, speaking up. Trevor's death glare suggested that I shouldn't continue.

"Well, pardon my mistake. Mizuko Rivers. Vancouver Gym Leader. I take it you're both here for me?" she asked finally introducing herself.

"Actually, Trevor, don't you have all of your badges by now?" I asked myself.

Groaning, Trevor dove into an explanation. "Number eight is conditional. I have to figure out why I've stopped growing, a least according to Fuego. It was a fluke he lasted so long, that's his whole reasoning."

"What is your team, may I ask?" Mizuko directed at him. "Perhaps I may be of service?"

"Charizard, Ambipom, Scolipede, Lombre, Electrode and Machoke," Trevor listed. I could tell he was still unimpressed.

"Do you know how Lombre and Machoke evolve, perchance?" Mizuko smirked.

"Lombre needs a Water Stone, Machoke needs time. I haven't peaked" Trevor snarled, now on an imaginary defensive.

"That settles it. I want to train both of you. Markus, you've got the synergy for sure, but you're still not near my level. Would you like me to help show you, using your Swampert if he would like another match today?"

I looked to my now fully evolved Swampert, and smiled when I was given the nod.

Time to prove my mastery even further. "We'll happily oblige."

"Alright, in traditional Gym fashion, I'll chose first. Seadra, you're on!" Mizuko called out. Instantly the light blue seahorse looked me down in anger, its fins keeping it afloat as it swam in midair.

This Seadra looked pretty powerful, but it wasn't quite at the level my team was. Even without any effective attacks, Swampert had it in him to win.

"Swampert, begin with..." I started, but stopped. Evolution meant a change in moveset. Pulling out the Pokedex for a quick scan, I was shocked at the almost complete overhaul.

"_Swampert. About frickin' time. It knows Muddy Water, Earthquake, Stone Edge and Ice Beam. Use responsibly,"_ it prompted.

"Start things off with Stone Edge!" I shouted. Glowing rock fragments surrounded Swampert's closed right fist, forming a spike as Swampert jabbed. Seadra however, "swam" out of the way, avoiding the attack entirely, then launched a Flash Cannon. The white beam of this next attack threw Swampert off balance, to the point the next round of Stone Edge missed completely.

"You see? You have the flow, and necessary connection for it, but it's aimless. Do you really want to continue this match, where in all likelihood you'll lose to an opponent about a badge level below yourself?" Mizuko prompted.

"...No," I admitted. "I guess I still have areas of improvement. When do Trevor and I start?"

Mizuko's sly smile once again crossed her face. "Now. Pack your things, for we leave immediately."

**Scene Change**

_ Toronto was sort of a big place for Carly. Already she'd spent a quarter of her journey in the city. As amazing as the city was, Carly still wanted something more in her adventure._

_ The gyms were a logical step for anyone who wanted to have a journey, but Carly had never felt fulfilled. It lacked the pizazz, the cameras, the glamour. Right from the beginning at least, and then only two or three handfuls of trainers ever captured a country's attention for more than a week._

_ Walking through Square, Carly stopped. A busker and her pokemon, a Gothitelle were performing. People had stopped in large numbers, to watch the tantric movement of the acrobat, suspended in midair by one of her pokemon. Carly was entranced, and didn't move until the act had stopped._

_ Waiting until after the crowd had left, Carly approached the performer. "I liked your act."_

_ "Thanks. I take it you're a trainer then?" the girl asked._

_ "Eight badges," Carly confirmed. "But, I'm not sure it's the best fit for me."_

_ "Why not go to America for contests?" the performer queried stopping Carly. "I remember you from the exhibition in Toronto. I hope the prize money went to good use, but most importantly, you have talent. Try something right now. Bring out one of your pokemon."_

_ Carly hesitantly reached for her belt, then chose Beautifly and stepped up to the plate, so to speak._

_ After all, for her it came naturally._

** Yo, wassup readers? Hope this chapter lived up to expectations. Unfortunately, due to school, this story is the only one of my stories with regular updates until it finishes/ gets closer to that point. Hopefully I'll have the others back up by March 2013, but I make no promises.**

** Trevor's back in the picture, Carly's got a new hobby, and Markus is prepping to win that last badge. And what has Professor Pine been up to? Those are all questions for another time.**

**And... reply time.**

**Terra Clearwater: Smart. Didn't take you much to catch on, now did it? And yeah, Canada's just that diverse. TBH... Markus was supposed to have caught an Aggron in very early versions of this story's overall plan. Hopefully I can reform Trevor's character though. **

**Mau5girl: Wow, that's scary. And I sorta addressed the guard problem, but, well, YOWIO: You only write it once.**

**Keep reviewing! I know it's somewhat possible for me to hit 200 with this story, so show any and all reviewing friends of yours who would like this story.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

"Okay, when I agreed to do train with you, I was not expecting we'd be out here," I said, now that we had reached an inlet along the west coast of Canada. As the sun set, we stood and watched the reflection on the water. Gigantic trees, part of their own miniature rainforest stood at our backs.

In fact, I'm taking a minute to describe the trees a bit more. Older than my family's own tree, in all likelihood, these pines filtered the sun immensely during the day, gnarled roots coming up from the forest floor, trunks wider than a smart car.

"I'm glad to see you two like it. We start at six tomorrow," Mizuko smiled.

"Kinda late to begin training, but you're the expert," I began, relieved. This was going more smoothly than I thought it would.

"In the morning," she finished.

Crap. Trevor shot a dirty look at her as she left us to our own devices, but otherwise we didn't protest. We knew what this could mean for us. I needed this boost more than Trevor though. To have a Gym Leader's help...

Of course, she'd know all of my moves then. All of my tricks. Be able to predict how I'd react. Maybe I'd just cursed myself.

You know what, caution's not always the best course of action. I needed to get over myself. I could, and would do this. It was just a lack of "power" holding me back. I'd have to either gain it or make up for it. Somehow.

* * *

><p>"What the hell am I doing here?" Trevor wondered out loud. "I don't have any more badges to earn, my team is worthy of a championship title, I'm just that damn awesome."<p>

"Then, why could somebody like me, who on paper is beneath your skill level, beat you without breaking a sweat?" I countered, rolling over to face the wall. She'd put us up in this log cabin, that basically amounted to a manual shower, a kitchen, and this shared room. Plus it was getting cold, and we were given next to nothing in the way of blankets.

"Shut your face," Trevor snapped back, ending this line of conversation.

After which, we lay in silence. I'd wanted to get something resembling our former friendship going, but I guess that wasn't happening. We'd started to drift apart, and not in a way where we could get together over coffee, and reminisce about the old days either.

Of course, he was still predictable as hell. Sneaking out of the room as best as he could, I decided to do something spontaneous and follow him. I waited to make sure he'd left, and put me out of earshot, then got up and put my jacket from Yellowknife on, having forgotten to return it.

Trevor forcefully marched through the forest, not trying to mask his presence at all. Surprisingly none of the pokemon tried to attack him, even though the way he carried himself screamed that he was a threat to them. Meanwhile, I was moving through the shadows, trying not to disturb anything. I knew if he realized I had followed him, it would end violently.

As we exited the forest, I stopped and watched Trevor reach the beach. The trees had prevented the now rather apparent downpour from coming through, even though this was technically a rainforest. I couldn't really tell what he was doing, but the wind carried bits of what he was saying my way.

"...tired of it all...I keep losing, even though I...need to stop this...I will be champ," I heard. Immediately I groaned. He wasn't changing anytime soon. But then, he continued, and what he said this time was the major shock.

"...What's Markus doing so right, that I'm not?" Trevor finished, before sitting down in the rain. What was I doing right? I was underpowered, had between little and no control over my team most of the time, and I was prone to losing my ability to focus. Not exactly the makings of a trainer.

Off in the distance, a large pokemon leaped out of the water. I had no idea what it was, but its markings glowed a solid crimson colour, lighting up its place in the water before it crashed down. Trevor paused to watch this, probably having a much better view than I did, than began to turn back.

In other words, my cue to run.

* * *

><p>"Sleep well last night?" I asked Trevor.<p>

"Quite nicely actually. Had this really weird dream though. Now, don't we have to be there with Mizuko... twenty minutes ago? Aren't you normally the punctual one?" Trevor countered.

"I'm a little apprehensive, sue me," I sighed, before grabbing my pokemon and running out the door.

Only to meet a very cross Gym Leader. "You're both late," she scolded. "Let's get to work, but now you both have to listen to everything I say. Come with me." Mizuko motioned, and then we followed her into the forest itself.

As we continued, nobody speaking, I thought I saw a shadow jump through the trees. As I looked around, Trevor scoffed. "It's the wind."

Just as I was about to accept that, a tree branch snapped. Not one of those tiny ones, it was about the size of a log and missed us by a couple of feet.

"You think that's the wind too?" I snapped, stepping away from where the branch fell. Instead of bumping into Trevor however, I ran into a wood-textured creature standing on two legs. Leafy arms brushed against my shoulder, and then it was gone.

"I see you've met your training partner. The object of the first exercise is to knock Shiftry here out before I come back, otherwise you have to face me as you are. It would be a quick loss," explained Mizuko, addressing a loose strand of ebony hair.

With that, Mizuko left, and Shiftry jumped back into the forest, leaving us to try and defeat it without the slightest clue of where to attack.

"Well, now what?" I sighed.

"Easy. We burn down the forest," Trevor said, deadly serious.

"Are you crazy? It's better if we try and isolate it," I snapped right back at him. "Do you have any idea how idiotic it would be to do that?"

Turning away from Trevor, now frustrated, I released Swellow. "Find a Shiftry. It's got a white mane, bulky body and big nose. Sorry I can't be much more descriptive," With that she took off. Suddenly, a purple-black orb of energy shot out of the trees overhead and hit Swellow, but the attack was futile. Swellow immediately went towards its source. Must have been a Shadow Ball, something Shiftry could have definitely learned, especially if it was a trainer's.

Wait, Gym Leaders could own Pokemon that weren't their Type specialty? Go figure...

Immediately the Shiftry revealed itself, showing that it was enraged we were trying to get to it. Waving its fans, Swellow was blown away by and incredible gust of wind.

"Take over Scolipede," Trevor shouted, releasing the large Bug and Poison type. Back to the colour of its original form, it towered over the both of us, long body bent so that it had a comfortable view, but its eyes were rather... dull.

"Poison Tail!" Trevor ordered, and Scolipede swung itself to comply. Hitting a tree instead of Shiftry, I inwardly groaned. Yes, Trevor had power, but he couldn't control it.

"Aerial Ace!" I called out, trying to recapture Shiftry's attention. Swellow slammed into the Grass Type, who mostly shrugged the attack off, and then evaded the return strike.

This was going nowhere fast. "Trevor, switch Scolipede back out. He's the wrong choice. Use Ambipom instead," I began to rhyme off, just in time for Trevor to try and object.

"He's naturally suited for the trees, the right size to not be hindered by the environment, isn't restricted to attacks which hurt us, and probably stronger than Swellow," I explained.

"You got all of that out of me hitting a tree?" Trevor asked.

"No, of you and Scolipede hitting the tree," I answered. Trevor paused at this. Had that ever crossed his mind? Probably not.

"Okay," he conceded, making the swap for the monkey with two extra hands. Ambipom leaped into the trees, joining in on the pursuit. As Swellow remained on Shiftry's tail, Ambipom waited, charging up what appeared to be a Focus Punch. The instant Shiftry was close enough, the Normal Type sprung. Two powerful, energized fists took Shiftry out of the air but Ambipom didn't catch himself and fell, connecting with the ground.

Shiftry got back up, and I then realized Ambipom was out cold. Swellow would have to finish this battle now. Was she up for this?

"You need to focus your energy through yourself, as if you're the one taking the swing. Swellow will feed off of that, and its effects definitely show. You can't lose focus Markus, do it!" Trevor ordered.

"Swellow, use Return!" I shouted. Glowing in her own energy, I tried to imagine I was the one trying to finish off Shiftry. The gap slowly closed, Swellow picked up speed, and the line between myself and her blurred, as if we were one. Shiftry became our destination, and I felt the rushing wind around Swellow like it was in my own face.

This sensation... was this the perfect synchronization the most elite trainers had? It made sense. The fact we were almost one single being was a flooring effect, like I could truly do the impossilbe, and become Champion.

A single solid hit, and Shiftry hit the forest floor...at the feet of Mizuko.

"Good, you both passed. By such a degree, that you're completely ready Markus. We start tomorrow. Five on five," she enthused.

Five on five? I'd never fought a battle that demanding. This was going to be the ultimate test of my skill. A win here, and I was ready. If I lost... I might as well go home now.

**And it just got real. Glad to see anyone still reading is. TBH, this chapter has been ready for about a week, I've just been too busy to post. Expect a chapter of Arrival in the near future, even though its updates will be sporadic.**

**Any reviews were PM responded to, so keep leaving me reviews. I want to hit 150, or even 200 during this story's run.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

"You ready for this?" Trevor asked me, as I prepped my team for what we were about to face. I counted off all six one more time, then responded.

"Yeah. I don't know who I'm leaving out of the fight though. Grotle and Manectric are musts, Swellow and Swampert will probably step in for a bit too, but I'm not sure beyond that. It'll be a heat of the moment decision for sure." Attaching my belt, I noticed Trevor was holding something in his hands. Upon closer examination, they were a pair of black fingerless gloves. Bit of an odd gift.

"I picked these up after I left. I've worn them in all my Gym battles, but I don't think I'll need them anymore," Trevor said. "Kick Mizuko's ass for me."

"Will do," I said, grinning myself. Stepping out into the break of day, I walked towards the location Mizuko had marked on the map she gave me, seeing as mine didn't get service for some reason. As I walked through the forest, wild pokemon danced in and around the canopy of the rainforest.

Yes, rainforest. All this traveling had fortunately not left me soaked, but I wasn't exactly dry either. Moisture had darkened my clothes, and at this point I decided to pitch my hoodie back into my bag. Not only was it tattered and dirty from months of solid traveling and little to no laundry, but it just wasn't me anymore.

Now just in a black T-shirt, my jeans, a worn out pair of running shoes and the fingerless gloves, I stopped to try and calm down. My heart was beating at a tempo of roughly three hundred and thirty beats per minute, my fingers were starting to shake and a bead of sweat trickled down my forehead.

Shit. I was not ready for this after all. This was like before Fuego, but times ten. I had to go up there though. I couldn't just wait around for something to shove me in the right direction anymore. I had to take control again.

Wiping my hands once again on my jeans, I took the last few steps forward into the area that had been marked as the Gym. Instead of a building of some sort however, there was nothing but a gigantic lake, with an island in the middle. A reinforced steel footbridge, a stark contrast with the rest of the view, had been laid out in front of me. This would be it. My last chance to back out and go home.

"Screw it," I told myself, and I boldly marched along its length to meet my destiny in a way. Confirming my suspicions this was a final decision was how the bridge slowly pulled back towards the other side of the lake once I was no longer on it.

"Do you like it?" Mizuko asked. "Every League battle has been in a vastly unnatural location for most of my challengers. But not here. This island had been almost untouched when I came here. All we did was relocate the local populations of a few wild Pokemon, here and in the lake, so we'd be fighting one another exclusively. Shall we meet with the referee and set some rules?"

"That's fine with me," I answered. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the older woman's sly little grin however.

"Alright, this will be a Five against Five League battle. Only the challenger may make substitutions. Anywhere on the island and in the lake is fair game. Pokemon may not attack trainers," the official droned, offering no comfort to me. "Once one trainer is completely out of pokemon, the battle is over. Any additional conditions added by the Leader?"

"I want to fight his Swampert last. I have a treat for him, that I've saved for a long time. Otherwise, no," Mizuko stated rather excitedly.

"Very well. Mizuko's five have been confirmed. Swampert has been requested, as final choice, otherwise make your choices known to me now," the official prompted, looking at me.

Gulping, I put pokeballs in the tray now nudged towards me one by one. Swampert. Grotle. Manectric. Swellow.

Now on my final choice, I considered both Hariyama and Skuntank, weighing the advantages of both. Toxic was a guaranteed death sentence, but that much bulk might float in a pinch. Finally settling on Hariyama, I took a step back.

"Okay, here's where it gets weird. You have ten minutes to find a spot for us to start from. Then we begin," I was told.

Well, that was odd. I looked around, then settled on where I'd reached the island.

"There," I pointed, taking the steps. "Where's your first?"

Answering my question was both the surge of broken water and the looming shadow over my head. Turning around, I saw a cream underbelly and a gaping mouth made of one fused row of teeth. Easily the size of a small building, I had not expected to see a Wailord. Most trainers simply didn't bother with them on the grounds of their size, evolved Wailmers having some of the highest abandonment rates.

"Ah," I said, summarizing the obvious.

So be it.

"Manectric!" I called out, releasing my Electric Type. Normally going for dominance, Manectric's tail went between his legs in an instant.

"I know it's really big, but you have to take it down. It's in a giant conductor for crying out loud! Discharge!" I commanded. The large mass of lightning arched out into the whale's body, sending intensely powerful voltage through the Wailord. The gigantic whale, however, didn't feel a thing.

"Counter with Water Pulse!" Mizuko called out, slightly miffed at how quickly I'd rushed into a plan of attack. The gigantic whale gathered a blue ball of oceanic energy in its mouth that Manectric managed to duck underneath, only to watch it blow up a nearby tree. Mizuko and I instantly dove for cover, trying to avoid splinters sent flying by the sheer force of the attack.

Dusting myself off, I could see a small nick along my right arm, a small amount of blood starting to drip out.

"Not every opponent will be taken down by sheer force. Did you learn nothing from yesterday? I actually think I was wrong about you. You aren't ready to win your last badge, you don't have the guts-" the Asian woman ranted, before I tuned her out.

Trying to sync with Manectric, the familiar fusion of vision that Swellow and I had yesterday came over me. Feeling in reenergized, we resumed our assault. Shifting my body with each leap Manectric made, the rubbery feel underneath my feet was a sign of our success in climbing atop Wailord. Seeing the blowhole, I didn't even have to speak in order. A Signal Beam, made of a pulsating psychedelic light forced itself through the hole, dealing damage.

Wailord tried to buck at his, but Manectric leaped right back off, launching another Discharge that was able to pierce whatever barrier had stopped its first launch.

"Blizzard!" Mizuko shouted. A frigid gale suddenly burst through the air, winds chilled upon its inception. This wind managed to hit my Electric Type, who was forced into a roll when the attack went through.

"One last push!" I called out, encouraging Manectric as we fell out of our synchronization. The second Signal Beam connected, and the first of many rounds to come ended.

Panting from exhaustion on my own part, I recalled Manectric. Without even a moment to catch my breath, Mizuko's second pokemon began staring me down. This orangey-red octopus had a long, gaping snout, and each of its legs was covered in yellow suction cups. Staring at me with beady eyes, it moaned its name at me.

"Octillery."

"Grotle, you're on!" I called out, releasing my gigantic turtle. "Razor Leaf!" As the leaves flew through the air, shooting towards their target, a Fire Blast engulfed the entirety of the attack, causing me to panic.

"You know what? I have seen so much crazy shit, I'm not even going to ask why. Grotle, return," I prompted, calling him back.

"Hariyama, you're on instead," I said, making the last minute change. "Thu-" I began, before stopping. At the rate I was going, I was showing my hand and had no idea if she was going to have an ace up her sleeve that would make this even harder on me.

"Close Combat!" I yelled at the gigantic Fighting Type.

Instantly, Hariyama charged forward in a flurry of blows, trying to bring down Octillery with the power of sheer force alone. Instead, a blast of murky ink landed square in his face, effectively blinding him.

"Octozooka. It's even got a fun name too," she enthused. "Now, you were about to use Thunderpunch?"

Shouldn't have gotten ahead of myself again. Maybe if I went back into that synchronization again, I could pull it off. After all, Octillery could only hit targets that were in front of it. All I had to do was go in behind it, and end it that way.

Except for the fact my player in this game was huge. Hariyama might as well have had a bull's eye painted on his bare chest.

"We need to focus now Hariyama! On my mark!" I encouraged, trying to get back into the mindset. The lines slowly began to blur, and I felt the tingle of the electricity along my right forearm. We lunged, this time with twice the force, and the wind rushed behind us. Not only did the attack connect, but the full force of Hariyama's bulk squashed Octillery.

"Strike again!" I exclaimed, now that we were back in this fight. Hariyama turned for the next round of the attack, only for Octillery to leap up into the air, using its legs for force.

With Octillery landing on top of Hariyama, I had to leave this heightened state in order for the both of us to not be blinded.

This battle was going to be even more of a drain on my consciousness than I'd previously fought. Every time I made an action, twice as much reaction was thrown in my face.

"Let's add to the stakes, shall we?" Mizuko offered, cutting in from across the battlefield. Your friend has a Lombre. If you win, he gets a Water Stone. You like that deal?"

Hariyama then released a salty Brine that dislodged Octillery, the liquid jet sending the squid into the side of a tree, with the sheer force knocking the Water Type out.

"I think I can do that," I panted, trying to hide my exhaustion.

I couldn't keep up like this though. I had to end this battle, or else...

I might not have the strength to go further.

* * *

><p><em>"That was awesome," the girl said to Carly, now that she had finished up her impromptu performance. "Why aren't you doing this stuff as a trainer?"<em>

_ "None of my friends wanted to, or even knew this stuff existed," Carly answered._

_ "And that stopped you? You could really go far, become a proper Coordinator even. What are you waiting for? In fact, I bet you built a team that works in contests without trying. What others do you have?" the street performer responded._

_ "Totodile, Bulbasaur, Litwick, Staraptor, Luxray. What's that got to do with anything?" Carly responded, before catching a Pokeball that was thrown in her face._

_ "She's a Gothorita, but too fierce to just stay here. You've got a lot of traveling in your future. You'll be a better trainer," the younger Psychic Type's former owner explained. "Consider it a gift, and a message."_

_ "Of what?" Carly asked._

_"You'll figure it out," the girl said, a smile across her lips as she walked away._

**Happy New Year! This battle started to run long, so it's going to continue across the next 2 chapters at minimum. Then, we approach the epilogue.**

**Thanks to M.T. Pockets for all the back reviews, as my regulars seem to have gone poof.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

The next pokemon I had to deal with came floating in from across the other side of the island. Projecting a mist around itself as it travelled, I was almost shocked to see a Lapras come into view, before I remembered I was up against a Gym Leader. Who probably had this Lapras imported, if she hadn't caught it after many years on the road.

Still, it was worth keeping Hariyama in another round for. "You good to keep going, big guy?" I asked, before receiving his signature battle cry.

Time to rock and roll.

"Close Combat!" I shouted, before changing my mind. "Pull back!" Hariyama stopped abruptly in the middle of his charge, kicking up a mass of dirt. On the edge of the lake, Lapras was still a good twenty metres away from the shore. If we were to do this right, I couldn't do something so foolish as to leave the ground. Land was where the majority of my team had the advantage. Yes, it did limit me rather severely, but I was not going to give it up. Going back to the large amount of water however, Manectric could still be of immense help.

I made the switch, and the canine returned to the field. However, I could tell by his gait he still felt what had happened earlier, in his fight against the Wailord. To keep him in would be giving up a potential game changer later down the line, but I didn't really have options. Swellow would probably be best to save for later on, in case I needed the surprise, and Grotle was still recovering, so he was definitely out.

Plus, I was still required to save Swampert for some reason I still couldn't figure out. Was she going to drop that Shiftry on me? Or did she have something specific in mind, that would push me well into the danger zone? Both of these were realistic possibilities, and neither of them were very attractive to me. Of course, not my main concern right now.

"Discharge!" I commanded, and then watched Lapras writhe in pain, imprisoned in the electric shock by virtue of location. The attack eventually came to an end however, and I immediately had to face a retaliation. A familiar blue laser encased the ground near Manectric in solid ice, the attack missing by mere degrees. Any closer, and Manectric would have been done.

Before I could call for the next round or Manectric's assault, Lapras unleashed a second burst of Ice Beam, and I had to recall my first loss of the battle. Great. Now I had to make another difficult choice... Hariyama couldn't get close, but resisted Ice Type attacks. Grotle still needed rest, but could fight effectively.  
>Swellow however, quickly proved to be my best option. Descending into an Aerial Ace, she had to pull up as the orb of water turned into a shockwave-esque blast, otherwise known as Water Pulse. Barely getting out of the blast's radius, I watched Swellow begin to stall.<p>

And then, it hit me- They were pushing themselves as hard as I was pushing myself. My team that is. And we hadn't struggled. I was up a Pokemon still, even though she now knew my lineup... but that didn't matter. All we had to do was win each battle as they came.

Watching Lapras move, I noticed the huge blind spot in behind its head. If it couldn't turn its neck past a certain point, it would have to move its body to get the needed coverage. Swellow could probably outpace it. And then the sheer size of its back made for a gigantic target. Hell, most trainers with Lapras generally used them for transport. Why would Mizuko have chosen it, when she knew the way I battled?

"Try and go around!" I called out, a grin sliding across my face as Swellow began to make the long, arcing flight in towards the target. Lapras however began to automatically move, as if used to this approach. This was going to be too close for my liking. "Faster!" I prompted Swellow.

Zooming in closer to the water, kicking up a wake trail now and breaking the air around her as she went, Swellow made Lapras look like a statue. Firmly behind the gigantic blue sea creature, Swellow's wings began to take on a metallic sheen. Steel Wing. Striking Lapras for a critical effect, Swellow pulled back into her holding pattern.

Instead of moaning in pain, Lapras began to sing. Mournful notes began to come through the air and I stopped, listening to it in the moment. I really felt for the first time in a while, and I couldn't believe that this was where it was happening. Still, how was the song helping her?

"Another Steel Wing!" I prompted. Swellow began to pull up into the air once air, gaining altitude with each and every moment. Mizuko followed Swellows' path, and visibly showed how much this frustrated she was by this development. Clearly, I had stumbled across something. Maybe, I'd reached a point where I was out of range? Not impossible. If anything, this would be the Arceus-send I needed. Sure, I could have Swellow fly endlessly in circles, but that wouldn't help me at all. If anything, the drop would add velocity and... I needed to study physics.

"Now!" I exclaimed, only to miss what had just happened due to an inopportune blink. Still, Lapras was in horrible shape. I just needed to score that last hit, and I'd be golden.

"Swellow, go for the finishing blow!" I called out. Flying in to perform this round's final divebomb, both of them suddenly crumpled. Lapras' head fell, and its eyes were peacefully closed as if resting, but Swellow just dropped. Falling into the water, I panicked and didn't grab her Pokeball fast enough, letting her take the entire plunge. Finally making the recall as the splash finished, the beam refracting off the water, I had no idea what had just happened.

Did that song take out Swellow? Or did she push herself too hard? Neither of them made much sense, and truthfully I was scared about what this meant. If Mizuko had the power to make such cutting changes in how many pokemon were available to ourselves, I might not end up lasting to the surprise she mentioned.

"Perish Song. Beautiful attack really, delicate yet powerful. You're not the first trainer to react that way, and won't be the last. You see, Water as a Type, for all its control and grace, has one of the strongest edges. After all, what's the one force that can wear down earth, snuff out a flame and still be the lifeblood of all?" Mizuko began to explain. "I thought you knew that by now. Oh well, just-

"Could you just wrap this up already?" I interjected. "Kind of in the middle of a battle?"

"Fine. Here comes my next choice," she sighed, clearly miffed she didn't get to perform her little rant. Which was probably recycled half a dozen times from the last round of trainers she took under her wing. Whatever. I needed to put things back into perspective.

Say... had I just regained energy? I felt better than I had before the fight had begun. I guess all the nerves had worked themselves out of me.

"Synchronization's brand new to you, isn't it?" Mizuko asked me.

"Yeah. How come nobody's ever mentioned it before? If it's such a game changer, why isn't every champion and their grandmother boasting about it?" I asked.

"It's new to this type of battling. It was mostly a Coordinator thing until maybe a couple seasons ago in America, and then there were a lot of skeptics worried about injuries and side effects. Clearly, you've taken to it well though. Manectric and Hariyama responded to you well. You're really a big family, you and your team, aren't you?" Mizuko countered.

I paused for a bit, then smiled. "Yeah. I guess we are. Don't we have to finish this battle though?"

"She's already here," I was told, before hearing a persistent clicking noise. Turning around, I saw a large crab, with one very large pincer that was bigger than my pet Growlithe back home.

"Kingler," she announced.

"Man, you aren't one for the stereotypical favourites, are you? Alright, come on out Grotle!" I said, releasing my turtle. Just by examination, Grotle was the best choice. No issues with speed, a Type advantage, maybe I could even have him absorb a blow of that pincer in a pinch- no pun intended.

"What can I say? Crabhammer," Mizuko replied, a sly grin once again across her face. Instantly, the gigantic claw slammed into the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt and dust. Out of the miniature smokescreen, an orb of blinding white energy shot towards Grotle, but didn't even come close to him. As I breathed outward relieved it had missed by such a wide margin, Mizuko visibly tensed up.

That pincer was too heavy. It was a weakness for Kingler, and she had to deal with it every time she swung her humungous appendage. Time to use it to my advantage.

"Grotle, get in close with Crunch, then point blank Razor Leaf!" I commanded. Grotle began to move its legs in his own style of sprint, which amounted to a jog in my terms, Kingler suddenly split into six copies of herself, all of which surrounded Grotle. My pokemon wildly swerved his head, trying to desperately get a bead on the real Kingler, but we both knew it was pointless. Grotle didn't have a move that could reliably break through the copies, at least when surrounded. Meanwhile, the copies began their own sort of silent walk, making the six seem like one endless string of enemies.

If it was easier for him to turn, I bet he could pull it off. Still, I had to try. "Razor Leaf!" I called out. The leaves then shot out, destroying the one copy in front of him and leaving five others for us to deal with. Clearly, that did not go as I had expected.

The copies then all returned into the original Kingler, who had somehow gotten behind Grotle. Her giant claw was able to grasp around Grotle's torso without difficulty and lift him into the air, before tossing him into a tree. Grotle crumpled in a heap, momentarily scaring me, but lifted himself up. Still, his breathing had gotten heavier, there was less energy in his attack stance and his footing began to slip.

Was Kingler even tiring? I couldn't tell. At the rate I was going, no way could Grotle win the battle. We had to tough it out though. "Giga Drain!" I ordered. Promptly after, Kingler was covered by a thick, dark green aura as her energy started to slip back into Grotle. The Grass Type's strength had somewhat returned at this point, but he couldn't win the match on his own. Still, we had to try.

"Go in for another-" I began, before being suddenly cut off.

"X-Scissor!" Mizuko ordered. Kingler's claws glowed a blindingly vibrant light blue colour, before striking down on Grotle's back. Seeing the sheer impact of the damage, I was surprised Grotle was still standing after the attack, even though he'd managed to slide a few meters back from the attack.

My hopes were dashed however, when he collapsed face first down into the dirt, as we'd now moved inland on the island. Still, I needed to get past that Kingler. All I had to do was keep my pokemon at a distance, right? Simple enough, right?

Except for the fact I was supposed to save Swampert for last, and my only other remaining option was an Arceus-damn FIGHTING Type. A big one at that too, so avoiding the claw was not a viable option either. Screw it, we'd just go whole hog.

"Close Combat!" I ordered. Hariyama charged in, gigantic mitts flailing wildly. Each time a connection of hand to crab was made, Kingler slid back slowly, until the large claw wasslammed into Hariyama's gut. Winded, the Fighting Type stepped back as Kingler regained her lost ground.

"Vicegrip!" Mizuko countered. While this version of the attack didn't have the same effect as before, Hariyama was visibly struggling to breathe, the pincer barely containing his waist.

"Thunderpunch out of there!" I called out. Crackling with electricity, Hariyama's balled fist pumped a high voltage charge that slowly began to turn Kingler into crabcakes, before she broke off. At this point both had become physically exhausted, heavy breathing only made more obvious by their tired stances.

"One shot to see how this ends?" I offered. Hariyama looked over my shoulder, and with a nod began to charge up a Focus Punch. At this point I went back into the synchronized state from before, comfortably taking in the feel of all the power.

"You know it," Mizuko smiled. "Crabhammer like never before!"

Another orb of energy like the first round of Kingler's attack went flying towards Hariyama's face. This time, it was going to hit its target and likely spell our doom. Hariyama's glowing fist met with the sphere, and all of the combined desperation and intensity met at the impact. If Hariayama couldn't keep pushing it back, I'd be down to Swampert, and Mizuko's surprise would come in fully rested against me.

Suddenly, the sphere went right back in the direction it came and struck Kingler directly across the face...body...whatever. The lady crab's eyes turned to swirls, and I relaxed.

"Alright Hariyama! We did it!" I shouted, as he turned and gave me a thumbs up, before collapsing from exhaustion himself. Clearly, he wasn't up to the challenge of continuing on.

"Well, I didn't think you'd get this far. Still, I think you're really going to enjoy this next round," Mizuko said. Pulling a pokeball off of her belt for what I thought was the first time, she asked me a quick little question.

"On three?"

I nodded, and we counted, before making the simultaneous throws of the pokeballs. The white lights flashed, and I could not believe my eyes.

"No way," I gaped.

**And, with that, I make my sporadic return. Updates happen when they happen, I'll try to get back on track, but school's a much bigger commitment these days. Review if you want, I understand if it's not up to snuff.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

Sure, it was pink, and maybe it had some bulk and a few more scars compared to my Swampert, but that's exactly what we were up against. Another Swampert. Clearly, Mizuko had her own little sense of irony. All that had lead up to this battle, and she just wanted to toy with us. Kind of a let down really.

"What better way to test your skills than a direct comparison?" I was asked. "I haven't used Neptune here since the season began, and I have to say you're the first trainer since to even be close to his level. But you still have to win."

"Neptune, huh? I didn't peg you as a nicknamer," I remarked, more than a little surprised. After all, none of the other Pokémon she'd sent out had special names.

"I only name the ones in my personal rotation. Neptune here is the weakest link. I figure he's right at your level," Mizuko explained.

My level? Not really. He was probably a little stronger than us, at best, and would make it one sided in a worst case scenario. And Swampert's moveset wasn't much help truth be told. Nothing he knew had any effectiveness on another Swampert. Of course, that would probably go both ways, but Neptune had the home field advantage. .. It felt as if every time I chocked up a point for myself, Mizuko had two.

Still, we had to try.

"Open up with Muddy Water!" I shouted, starting off the battle. A gigantic wave of water the colour of dirt sprung out of the lake surrounding the island we were fighting on, and went straight for Neptune. Moving at such a fast pace, and in such great volume, I relaxed. Neptune was going to feel this. We'd have the first major hit, and be able to take the battle into our own hands. Moisture built up in the air around us, and a smirk crossed my face.

"Neptune, Waterfall!" Mizuko countered, just as the attack was about to connect. Splitting this wave of murky water was a cone of pristine, uncontaminated water that had materialized from Neptune's fist. The Muddy Water was instantly split down the middle and dispersed, leaving Neptune unharmed. The pink version of the two Swamperts then turned towards us dismissively, as if to ask if it was the best we could do.

"Alright Swampert, use Stone Edge!" I called out, trying not to let the setback psych me out. Chunks of shattered rock gathered around Swampert's fist, glowing from the energy now stored within each jagged piece. Swampert set off into a run, closing the gap between himself and Neptune. Dirt and sand being kicked up with every step, I could feel the intensity even from where I stood.

"Hammer Arm!" Mizuko countered, and Neptune's entire forearm started to glow. Neptune began a rush of his own, and the already small gap started to become negligible. Swampert took his swing, which only glanced off his opponent, for Neptune's attack to punch right through, sending Swampert flying back a good ten meters, cutting a huge swath out of the ground. The dust began to settle, and I barely held on as Swampert launched into an Earthquake attack, trying to keep our offensive going.

Neptune almost seemed to laugh at this feeble attempt, before unleashing an Earthquake of his own. Swampert's Earthquake seemed like it was nothing, and I was sent in a completely different direction compared to Swampert, falling back into the water. Swampert and I were now directly split up- Neptune stood between the two of us. The fight had spread from just being along the beach of this island, to the point where the forest was now part of the battlefield. Neptune had yet to show that he'd exerted himself, and I was starting to worry about this. If Swampert couldn't reliably do any sort of damage...

"Hidden Power!" I heard Mizuko call out. The familiar white energy gathered up into a circle of orbs, slowly twirling around Neptune. The attack launched before I could react, but Swampert attempted to dodge. He hit the deck, and I waited with bated breath for it to pass over him completely.

Instead, the attack swiftly changed directions in the middle of its flight. Making a ninety degree drop, it landed in the small of Swampert's back. Swampert called out in pain; the Hidden Power was a Grass Type variation of the move. It had to be.

This seemed like it would be the last nail in our coffin. We couldn't keep up with an opponent that outclassed us in every way. Neptune was bigger than Swampert. Neptune had a better moveset than Swampert, one that suited his capabilities better. Mizuko had been battling at this level for years where I was only a couple weeks in at most. No matter how hard I tried, I would just keep failing Swampert, keep failing the others, keep failing myself.

Swampert however pulled himself right back up, brushing some dust off himself. Yes, he was injured, but it didn't seem like Swampert was considering it that big of a deal. In fact, he was even more determined than when the match had begun. In fact, before my very eyes a cyan glow surrounded Swampert, flaring off of him like liquid flames.

Torrent. Swampert had called on that last little reserve of his power, to reach the level Neptune was on. It would be close, but now we had a sliver of a chance.

"Muddy Water!" I shouted. Instead of the medium sized surge from before, the attack's true faced showed. Focusing, Swampert brought a tsunami of the murky depths of the lake to the surface, and Neptune was knocked off his feet.

Pouncing forward with a Stone Edge, the jagged shards of rock connected with the stomach of the more experienced Swampert. Neptune countered with a Waterfall, the concentrated cone trying to punch right back, but Swampert caught the fist. Holding on with a fist like tempered steel, Swampert visibly shook, trying to hold back the attack. Miniature shocks started coursing through the ground underneath my feet, subtle at first, but quickly gaining power. Neptune swung for the second time with his other fist, but that too was caught by Swampert.

These minor shocks turned into full on tremors, and the roots of the nearest tree started to come out from under the earth. The power, radiating from the epicenter of the locked fists even began to shift the air, blowing Mizuko's scarf back into her face.

"Head butt Neptune!" I ordered. Swampert followed the command to the letter, his head crashing into the skull of Neptune. Swampert fell back towards me, clutching his head while the pink behemoth did the same, breaking the circle. Taking a few steps back, I watched with terror as the same aura Swampert had surrounded Neptune.

"Yeah. We can do that too," I was assured, Mizuko beginning to cackle. "I'm impressed though. I thought I had you two. If you'd used your Skuntank, or that Kricketune, we wouldn't be here right now."

"Well, we're here right now," I retorted. I put on my best game face, but inwardly cursed at myself. Was that really the comeback of a champion?

Before we could continue our assault, Swampert was thrown towards me, inches separating us from our own collision. I barely managed to duck in time to ensure there was enough headroom, but I could still feel the slime of Swampert's skin mixed with a liquid I hoped was sweat. Landing well into the water, back to the beach where this duel began, Swampert left a crater in his wake. Slowly bringing himself upright, in those crucial moments I had a glimpse into how weak he truly was. His defiant eyes now held embers instead of infernos, his breathing had gotten heavier and his face screamed of pure exhaustion. I couldn't keep pressing him this hard. Even the glow of Torrent had started to fade, meaning Swampert's last line of defense couldn't keep going at this rate.

Mizuko took this golden opportunity to gloat.

"All talk, and no way to disprove it. Shame. You showed promise. But you're not even at the Seven Badge level, are you? You didn't face Landon after all-Gym Leaders know that stuff. You skipped out on more than a battle. You didn't fully cross the hurdle the badge supposedly signifies. Every little chance to improve, you've coasted on through without truly applying yourself. Once again, Swampert pays the price. I know what happened with Abelard. You'll never make it further than here."

Was she right?

I turned to Swampert, almost agreeing with her. True, my starter seemed weary, but he wanted to keep fighting. It hit me, that he didn't care about the stakes. None of them had really. It was just a bunch of battles.

Talk about the worst times to get an epiphany, huh?

"Swampert, can you keep going?" I asked him. As he turned back towards me, he managed a weak but focused nod. One more round of blows. The fire had returned to his eyes, a metaphorical scalding flame against an otherwise black abyss. Even after the beating he'd taken, one which had made his breath shallow and gait wobbly, Swampert wanted to fight. Almost made me proud, on top of scaring me shitless.

Swampert's swing, with its sheer ferocity shattered this illusion of feebleness however. The jab turned into an uppercut, slamming Neptune upwards and into a tree that had remained untouched. Not granting any mercy to Neptune, Swampert lunged onto the veteran member of the species and began a series of crosses across Neptune's mouth. Unable to get up, Neptune couldn't even focus enough to retaliate. Mizuko had started to panic, nervously fidgeting where he stood. Unable to speak, for a few crucial moments she stood, mouth gaping but mute. When Mizuko was finally able to get words out, I was shocked to hear her cry out.

"Call Swampert off!"

Suddenly, I clued in to the reality. Swampert's fists had blood dripped across the knuckles, and the blood was Neptune's. The elder Swampert was starting to lose, but at the same time if my own Swampert were to continue, Neptune might be forced into an early retirement. As part of my own panic, I jumped straight to attempting to sync with Swampert, to see if I could bring some control that way. As our visions blurred together, I was shocked by what I saw. While with all my other Pokémon the synch was very harmonious, almost pure in a way, Swampert's was a raging tide. Raw emotions flared up in me, particularly anger. Swampert had made this fight personal. The entire motivation for his actions was pride. Swampert didn't want to end up losing to what was basically a different version of himself.

"Stop," I commanded, purposely avoiding the wrathful tones every instinct in my body wanted me to use. I felt Swampert's consciousness start fighting back against mine, and I brought forward my thoughts a second time, a tad more forcefully.

"Stop!" I repeated, practically losing it. Again, I was resisted, so I tried a different tactic as time began to stand still.

"Why is this so personal?" I asked Swampert. Instead of a verbal answer, I received a rush of memories of a foreign beach in a warm country. Mexico perhaps, but this was likely a side effect of the synchronization. They started with a newcomer to my Swampert, then a young Mudkip's community, a different Swampert who had once been owned by a trainer. He'd gained the confidence of the group, even shown some of his moves to the other Pokémon. This Mudkip in particular was proud of how he'd been the first to learn Ice Beam. This started to tell me the backstory of my starter, but none of what I was seeing was complete. Many key details seemed missing, lost with time or otherwise something I couldn't get at. Rejoining the stream, the elder Swampert was now tearing through the group as the Mudkip in the memories was captured and taken far away from those who had once been his family. That Swampert had still been owned by a group of poachers, and played them the entire time. Neptune was being compared to that Swampert, right down to the rest of the attacks both had used.

This battle was that tiny Mudkip's way of taking revenge.

"You're just going to become a copy of what you're trying to kill. Is that what you want?" I countered. This was when I received the last little rush of memories and emotions. Scenes from when we first began our journey together, coupled with a sense of belonging. Loyalty truly forged in the one fateful Pokémon centre. Trust forged from every single training session battle and period of time spent together. Even affection, brotherly, with the other members of my team. Likely his own way of saying no.

"Thought so. You want to help Neptune up?"

With a grunt, Neptune was pulled back onto his feet. The two exchanged looks, with the anger between them now gone. Understandably so, for Swampert and Neptune had both had the shit beaten out of them, and like any friendly guys after a scrap, were willing to call it even. My Swampert's previously damaged fin had a new crack, and Neptune seemed to have a nosebleed. Bruises were along both of their bodies. Really, they both seemed tired.

"Ready for round fifteen?" I joked, having given up on thinking about this damn thing.

"Why the hell not? Arceus knows why you haven't give up yet," She sighed, shaking her head. Brushing a strand of her otherwise short hair out of her face, Mizuko composed herself. Some of her previous conviction was gone. Maybe she'd written this battle off as something not worth her time. In fact, I looked up and realized we'd easily been at this for a couple of hours, as we were about now battling at midday and had started at almost the crack of dawn. The sun had moved higher up into the sky, casting shadows where we stood. The sheer amount of carnage had exponentially exploded just from the last little bit of our bout.

"Hammer Arm," Mizuko said, already bored. She'd lost her urge to fight back, and I guessed Neptune had too. Following her monotone voice, Neptune attempted to swing his glowing forearm one last time into Swampert. The lumbering arms came through at a sluggish pace, and Swampert could easily sidestep them. Still somewhat in the sync from before, I realized Swampert had pieced together something that could easily end the battle, Neptune's guard was full of holes, and Mizuko wasn't keen on trying to fix that. If it worked, we only needed one blow to win.

"Waterfall," I said, trying to seem collected in my excitement and anxiety. Swampert punched out, fist now surrounded by a cone of water, rushing into Neptune's chest. The pink bulk fell, after stumbling backwards a few feet. Hitting the ground, Neptune's breathing became laboured, like he was fighting to stay awake. I thought he was sufficiently down, but his arms twitched just as I was about to celebrate. Did he have enough strength to pull himself up? Had I miscalculated?

With tremendous effort, gritted teeth and a creased forehead Neptune managed to sit back up, but even this had winded him. Still, the glow of Hidden Power began to gather around his mouth, and I lost all hope that I once had in that single moment. If the attack connected, game over. The energy reached its tipping point, right before it was about to fire and I braced myself for the inevitable defeat.

Instead, Neptune collapsed. Out of energy to keep going, he had passed out in an attempt to charge his last attack.

Breathing heavily myself, I let it slowly hit me.

"You won Swampert! We did it!"

* * *

><p>"Let me see it," Trevor prompted, eyes eager. Pulling out my road worn badge case, I sighed and relented. The once pristine black casing had marks along the edge it opened, and its once brilliant red stripe along the right side had been marred to the point it seemed dull. Inside however rested eight pristine chunks of polished ore, a testament to my accomplishments. Nicole, draped along my side, seemed happy just to be close after our time separated.<p>

Urban. Tonnere. Eclipse. Quarry. Aero. Maple. Borealis. Rapids. The first seven had all been in the case for an extended period of time, but the last, a depiction of a foamy cloud at the end of a waterfall, was hours old.

"Everyone's in the Pokémon Centre here for a couple days. Swampert especially since took one of the worst beatings I've ever seen," I replied. "After that we head back home. And Trevor, I almost forgot a little something for you." Reaching into my bag, the stone felt cool to the touch. Pulling it out, the remainder of the sun's rays shone through its barely translucent body. Deep blue in colour, in a shade reminding you of the ocean, bubble-like air pockets adding to the illusion, anyone could tell you it was a Water Stone.

"With a bonus," I smirked, pulling out a fresh pokeball.

"She gave you a Pokémon? What? Why?" Trevor blurted out, taking on an unsightly green tinge. "When was that part of the deal?"

"It was the Shiftry we trained with. A Water Gym leader doesn't need a Pokémon not fully hers of the Grass variety, so she let me have him. He's been native to here his entire life. Apparently he liked me," I shrugged. "So, did you get your final badge yet?"

Trevor responded with an equally worn case. "Pyre Badge got here when Fuego received a tip that I had a 'newfound understanding' of what it meant to be a trainer. You kicked her ass Markus, and she delivered on her end."

"Congrats you guys," Nicole added "I don't want you two to fight again. It's painful to watch. And you've both got a lot to look forward to." Pressing herself even closer into me, I only remembered we had a third wheel when Trevor started to cough obnoxiously. Shifting back into our collective conversation, I tried to change the focus.

"Let's hear it for us man! Two guys headed for the League! Burgers are on me!" I shouted, as we went back into town.

* * *

><p><em> Chuck stood, waiting for the bird to come. A jagged yellow gemstone encased in his grip, he gritted his teeth. Zapdos would come. Looking to his other hand, a Master Ball rested. Empty, of course, just like it had been with Moltres and Articuno. Only this time, there wasn't a single pesky, wannabe do-gooder to try and stop him. Really, it was almost too perfect.<em>

_ Now it was only a matter of time before the trio was complete, and he could proceed with phase two of his father's plan. His own badge case filled, there was only one way to progress._

_ Win the League._

**Wow, it's been a while. I decided I'm giving this story a proper ending, if it takes me my entire life, because there really wasn't a conclusion and you've had a cliffhanger for over a year.  
><strong>

**I'm a little out of it, this probably isn't my best work, but whatever.**

**Leave the reviews if you want, I enjoy reading them. Thank you to returning fans, and welcome new ones.**


End file.
